


home is where I lay my head

by thebestworstthing



Series: razzle dazzle [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Arguing, British Allura, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Drinking, Everyone is LGBT, Gay Keith (Voltron), Getting Together, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Korean Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Has ADHD, M/M, Making Out, More tags to be added, Mutual Pining, Secret Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Slight reference to transphobia but it's very subtle, Slow Burn, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Character, gratuitous my immortal references, group chats, medical student Lance, texting fic, they're all meme loving fucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2018-10-13 18:56:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10519809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebestworstthing/pseuds/thebestworstthing
Summary: Lance McClain created a new groupLance McClain added Katie Holt, Keith Kogane, Hunk Garrett, Takashi Shirogane, Allura Altea, Coran SmytheLance McClain:wassup my dudes**(or; the group chat fic nobody wanted but i wrote anyway)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! so i'm currently writing chapter five of this fic and decided it would be a good time to post it, updates every wednesday unless i say differently/forget/anything happens at all
> 
> psa: this is the rewrite so if you've already read this story and are wondering why it seems familiar, that's why!

**_Lance McClain created a new group_ **

**_Lance McClain added Katie Holt, Keith Kogane, Hunk Garrett, Takashi Shirogane, Allura Altea, Coran Smythe_ **

**Lance McClain:** wassup my dudes

**Hunk Garrett:** lance

**Hunk Garrett:** I need you to think long and hard about this decision

**Lance McClain:** pffft this is the group chat of your dreams and you know it

**Keith Kogane:** *nightmares but ok

**Katie Holt:** I second that

**Lance McClain:** hey no need to be rude let me live my life in peace

**Lance McClain:** besides it’s easier to talk to everyone at once now let me be lazy

**Allura Altea:** nope

**Katie Holt:** nah

**Keith Kogane:** never

**Lance McClain:** apparently it also makes it easier for you to roast me too ouch

**Katie Holt set her own nickname to _Pidge_**

**Lance McClain set his own nickname to _Sir Lancelot_**

**Lance McClain set Keith’s nickname to _Mullet_**

**Mullet:** lance I don’t have a freakin mullet

**Sir Lancelot:** uh yeah you do dems the facts keef

**Pidge set Takashi’s nickname to _Squad Dad_**

**Pidge:** …the chosen adult figure to guide us through our lives

**Squad Dad:** why am I the responsible one

**Pidge:** we need a stable parental figure and you fit the criteria

**Squad Dad:** what’s the criteria

**Pidge:** older… won’t walk out…. hasn’t killed anyone yet…

  **Squad Dad:** …yet

**Squad Dad set his own nickname to _Space Dad_**

**Space Dad:** sounds cooler and I’m studying astrophysics

**Mullet:** that’s a very Dad™ thing to do

**Space Dad:** why did you ™ the dad

**Sir Lancelot:** that is a sentence I never thought I would read. ever

**Mullet changed Space Dad’s name to _Space Dad™_**

**Mullet:** I do what I want

**Hunk Garrett:** children please

**Hunk Garrett:** stop this

**Pidge set Hunk’s nickname to _Space Mom_**

**Sir Lancelot:** space mama

**Space Mom:** I don’t know how you did that but I felt the eyebrow raise and wink from through the walls

**Sir Lancelot:** the power of love

**Space Mom:** <3

**Pidge:** gay

**Coran Smythe set his own nickname to _Coran Coran the gorgeous man_**

**Sir Lancelot set Allura’s nickname to _Princess_**

**Pidge set her own nickname to _Pidgeotto_**

**Princess:** lance

**Sir Lancelot:** yes?

**Princess:** I just rolled my eyes so far back into my head they saw into my brain

**Sir Lancelot:** that’s not how eyes work but I understand the point you’re trying to make

**Sir Lancelot:** you’re keeping the nickname though right?

**Princess:** unless anyone comes up with anything better

**Mullet:** how about

**Mullet set Princess’s nickname to _Princess™_**

**Space Dad™:** stop trademarking stuff

**Mullet:** you™ can’t™ stop™ me™

**Space Dad™:** im muting this chat

**Mullet:** you can’t escape the ™

**Mullet set his own nickname to _Mullet™_**

**Mullet™:** perfect

 

**Sir Lancelot changed the group name to _Defenders of the Universe_**

**Pidgeotto:** …why

**Sir Lancelot:** me n hunk are watching Voltron

**Pidgeotto:** you’re watching Voltron without me?? Betrayal

**Sir Lancelot:** you’re literally sat one room away from us pidge get in here

**Pidgeotto:** omw and I’m bringing ice cream

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Pidgeotto:** lance fell asleep what a dork

**Pidgeotto sent an image**

**Princess™:** draw on his face

**Mullet™:** is he drooling

**Space Mom:** right on my shoulder

**Mullet™:** gross

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Sir Lancelot:** pidge you taritor

**Mullet™:** taritor

**Space Dad™:** taritor

**Space Mum:** taritor

**Princess™:** taritor

**Pidgeotto:** taritor

**Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** taritor

**Sir Lancelot:** i came here to have a good time but i honestly feel so attacked right now

**Mullet™:** good

**Sir Lancelot:** keith u rude ass bitch

**Pidgeotto:** keith just rekt you

**Pidgeotto:** RIP Lance gone but not forgotten

**Pidgeotto:** may he remain forever in our hearts

**Princess™:** that was beautiful pidge

**Sir Lancelot:** im not dead

**Pidgeotto:** sometimes I can still hear him talking to us

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Pidgeotto:** lance wyd???

**Pidgeotto:** its like 3am get out of the kitchen and go to sleep

**Sir Lancelot:** I’m not in the kitchen??

**Pidgeotto:** WAIT WHAT

**Pidgeotto:** THEN WHO THE FUCK IS USING THE MICROWAVE

**Sir Lancelot:** haha jk its me

**Pidgeotto:** ok first of all: fuck you

**Pidgeotto:** secondly: why

**Sir Lancelot:** I’m grabbing something to eat

**Pidgeotto:** you have a 9 am class

**Sir Lancelot:** I also have a paper due in at 8

**Sir Lancelot:** and I started it approx two hours ago

**Sir Lancelot:** I need sustenance to provide me the energy to proceed

**Pidgeotto:** sucks to be you

**Pidgeotto:** good luck with your paper though!!

**Sir Lancelot:** thanks!!

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Princess™:** when do you two sleep

**Pidgeotto:** we don’t

**Pidgeotto:** we die of sleep deprivation like men

**Sir Lancelot:** speak for yourself pidgey I need my beauty sleep

**Mullet™:** doesn’t seem to work though does it ://

**Sir Lancelot:** at least I don’t have a mullet ://

**Mullet™:** least I can actually pass my classes ://

**Pidgeotto:** smackdown

 

**

 

Lance places his phone down with a drawn-out sigh that attracts the attention of the person sat in front of him. He’s fully aware that Keith is right, Lance _is_ failing his classes. Or at least, two of them. Thanks to his ADHD, Lance is finding it harder than ever to actually turn up for class, never mind complete the assignments and study for tests. He knows that he’s probably ruining his future, but he just physically can’t bring himself to work.

 

Besides, it’s also _incredibly_ hard to try in a class he knows he will get a bad grade in anyway. It’s like his ADHD thinks _fuck it,_ _who cares anymore? Not me._

 

Which is why, as he’s sat in the lecture hall listening to his professor drone on about something mind-numbingly boring, Lance finds his focus wavering and he tunes out the words, opting instead to doodle on the corner of his notebook. He etches out tiny drawings of flowers and intricate patterns stretching over the paper.

 

Lance thinks briefly about what Keith said and a bitter feeling fills his chest, something between anger and resentment that seems to burn his insides. _Jealousy._ Jealousy because Keith can effortlessly pass all of his classes without even trying. Keith who doesn’t have ADHD, who hasn’t been mocked and isolated by kids his own age just because he thinks slightly differently, Keith who will probably never fully understand what executive dysfunction is like.

 

Their ongoing rivalry stemmed from Lance’s jealousy of Keith, over time it changed to become friendly banter but it still contains that sliver of resentment that Lance tries to push down but reappears far too often.

 

Besides, it really doesn’t help that Lance is fully in the closet. As far as his friends are concerned, Lance is completely, one-hundred-percent straight. Whereas, while Lance is still attracted to women, he also likes guys too. He just hasn’t figured out how to tell everyone thanks to having to hide it for so long after growing up in a highly religious area. Meanwhile Keith is openly gay and unashamed, something Lance has only dreamed of. It’s a petty thing to be jealous over, something that could be resolved so easily if only he had a little more courage

 

It also _really_ does not help that Lance may or may not be _slightly_ crushing on Keith.

 

So really, Keith’s comment should hurt. And it does. Lance feels his chest tighten, ever so slightly, as the comment ribs at his worst insecurities until his eyes burn with the threat of tears.

 

Lance’s vision blurs slightly and he’s unsure whether it’s because of tiredness or because of the tears threatening to fall. He switches his phone to _do not disturb_ and throws it in his bag, turning his attention back to his professor only to find that people are starting to leave. He gathers his stuff and walks out of the theatre quickly, keeping his head down and pace fast.

 

Lance entertains the idea of going back to his apartment but decides he isn’t quite ready to face Hunk yet and instead needs a cup of coffee first. The trek to the coffee shop is short but it helps distract him from everything so he’s thankful. Lance picks up his drink and looks around for a place to sit but, as usual, there are no chairs available.

 

With a resigned sigh, Lance heads back to the apartment.

 

**

 

**_> > Hunk Garrett to Keith Kogane_ **

**Hunk:** keeiiiittthhhh

**Hunk:** did you accidentally offend lance

**Hunk:** again

**Keith:** I genuinely didn’t mean to though

**Hunk:** ik

**Hunk:** you just need to remember that Lance is insecure about his grades! It seems stupid to us cause he always does great anyway but you know he doesn’t think that about himself

**Keith:** I do remember that though, I’m just dumb

**Keith:** I honestly didn’t mean to send it

**Hunk:** it’ll be fine, you just need to apologise

**Keith:** I don’t know how to??

**Hunk:** just send him a text explaining why you’re sorry, and if that doesn’t work come over to our apartment

**Hunk:** lance isn’t back yet though so I’ll text when he is

**Keith:** ughhh apologies are hard

**Hunk:** hate to be the voice of reason but you brought this on yourself buddy

**Keith:** I know

**Keith:** do you think he’ll forgive me?

**Hunk:** tbh he’s probably already forgiven you

**Hunk:** he’s like that

**Hunk:** one of his best and worst qualities

**Keith:** so you don’t think I fucked up really badly??

**Hunk:** nah, he’ll just be having a bad day

**Hunk:** apologise and all will be good tomorrow

**Keith:** thanks hunk, you’re the best

 

**

 

**_> > Keith Kogane to Lance McClain_ **

**Keith:** hey lance

**Keith:** I know what I said was wrong, and I’m so sorry about that. I know you’re worried about your grades and I know I behaved like a dick bringing them up to use against you so I’m really really sorry

**Keith:** also I’m at mcdonalds right now, do you want me to bring you anything? As a peace offering?

 

**Keith:** lance?

 

**Keith:** ??

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Mullet™:** lance???

**Mullet™:** has anyone heard from him

**Space Mom:** he got in about fifteen minutes ago

**Sir Lancelot:** henlo

 

**Pidgeotto:** don’t you have a class now?

**Sir Lancelot:** nah the professor cancelled

**Sir Lancelot:** did get given an essay due tomorrow which is Fun

**Mullet™:** can I come over?? I wanna talk to you

**Sir Lancelot:** (read 14:20pm)

**Sir Lancelot:** jk

**Sir Lancelot:** I know it’s cause you feel bad about what you said earlier but it’s fine, it’s cool don’t worry about it

**Mullet™:** can I come over anyway?

**Sir Lancelot:** now isn’t a good time, sorry

 

**

 

**_> > Katie Holt to Lance McClain_ **

**Katie:** i knew this group chat was a bad idea

**Katie:** how pissed at keith are you, scale of one to ten?

**Lance:** probably about a four

**Katie:** okay good so no more than normal

**Katie:** just don’t let this make things awkward in that chat ffs

**Katie:** besides, we all know how hard it is to get into a med degree, you did well McClain

**Katie:** if keith was faced with a human body and a scalpel, he’d kill someone, you can save them with it??

**Katie:** how freaking cool is that

**Katie:** so don’t feel bad about what he said

**Lance:** i mean we haven’t started surgical techniques yet but i get the point you’re trying to make

**Lance:** love u pidgey pie <3

**Katie:** don’t tell anyone but I love u too sometimes

**Lance:** that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me

 

**

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Keith Kogane_ **

**Lance:** I’m not angry at you by the way

**Lance:** well I was

**Lance:** but I calmed down

**Lance:** and pidge talked some sense into me

**Lance:** anyway I’ll take you up on the mcdonalds

**Lance:** get me a large fries and some chicken nuggets

**Keith:** on my way

 

**

 

Keith clutches one fast food bag in his hand and tucks the other under his arm so he can knock on the door. It opens almost instantly to reveal a rather bedraggled looking Lance. There are dark bags under his eyes and he looks pale, almost sickly. The image of him helps to quell the worry blossoming in Keith’s chest but at the same time it raises some questions that Keith really needs the answer to, like: _why does he look half dead?_

 

“Well you look dreadful.” Keith says, before he even really thinks about it. He grimaces slightly as Lance raises his eyebrows, remembering the tension between the two of them.

 

Lance looks for a second like he might actually snap and start screaming at Keith, then just as Keith opens his mouth to apologise, his face softens and his lips quirk upwards into a smile.

 

“That’s what happens when I lose out on my beauty sleep.” Keith relaxes slightly, but still holds a small amount of nerves in his stomach.

 

“Shouldn’t leave your work until the last minute.” He hands Lance his food and sticks out his tongue, moving past the other to take his shoes off and sit down on the couch.

 

Lance scoffs, “That’s not gonna happen.” He gestures down the hallway to his room. “Come in my room because I genuinely have a paper I need to work on but I’m almost done so then you can proof read it for me.”

 

“Are you really gonna make me read a medical paper?” Keith groans, his disinterest in the subject having been made clear from the very start of their courses, three years ago.

 

“Hey, you need to earn my forgiveness! Don’t be a jackass and let me take advantage of your guilt.” Lance laughs as he says it so Keith knows he is definitely joking, but Keith knows that if he wasn’t joking, he would still do whatever it took to earn Lance’s forgiveness.

 

“Now you’re making me want to leave.” Keith sits down on the bed, pushing at Lance’s shoulder softly while the other finishes typing something up. Keith nibbles at his fries, watching as Lance shoves a whole chicken nugget in his mouth.

 

“Shut up, you know you find both me and cancer treatments endearing.” Lance grins at him and winks in his stereotypical way and Keith feels something in his chest tighten. He briefly wonders if he’s been wearing his binder for too long.

 

“You perhaps, definitely not the cancer treatments.”

 

“Hey, don’t offend chemotherapy like that.” Lance says with a smirk, turning his laptop around so Keith can read the text.

 

And sure, Keith is good enough at English to tell it’s well written, but he has no clue what most of it even means. He’s never even heard of things like ethylenimines or alkylsulfonates before so he has no idea if what is written is correct, but it makes grammatical sense and Keith can’t find any spelling errors in the words he understands; he counts it as a job well done for Lance and tells the other as much.

 

He watches as Lance sips his drink, his Adams apple bobbing softly, and looks at the relieved grin Lance wears when he submits the paper.

 

“Now _that_ is how you write an essay in two hours.” Lance gives him a pair of finger guns and Keith rolls his eyes, but he’s still impressed. Two hours to write 3000 words? It usually takes Keith about twice as long as that.

 

“How is that even possible?” Keith asks.

 

“Because I’m magical, Mullet-man.” Lance says, wiggling his eyebrows. “Actually, it’s because I mixed my ADHD medication with redbull, which I know I’m not supposed to do, but the caffeine gives me energy to do the work and the meds increase dopamine levels in my brain which increases my concentration, or something like that.” Lance waves his hand, “It’s all in the science.”

 

Keith bites into a fry, relishing the bitter taste, and sighs. “I really don’t think that’s how it works. And, for the nine millionth time, I don’t have a mullet.”

 

He thinks that Lance may just be the stupidest person he’s ever met. Who in their right mind would think of mixing medication and redbull? _Lance would._ Proof that the other is completely and utterly insane. The stress of university probably broke him, Keith thinks it’s a miracle that he hasn’t turned up dead yet with the way he drinks caffeine like it’s water.

 

“Keep telling yourself that and one day you’ll believe it. And besides, that’s definitely how it works, I’m living proof.” Lance retorts back, riffling through a stack of books on the floor beside his bed.

 

Keith just rolls his eyes, not even gracing Lance with an answer. Eventually, the other must find what he was looking for as he stands up clutching a thick book with a triumphant grin.

 

“Here it is!” Lance almost shouts, his eyes lit up with happiness.

 

“What is it?” Keith is confused, surely a textbook wouldn’t bring that much relief.

 

“The book containing the assigned reading I have to do today. I thought I’d lost it and this thing cost, like, $100.” Lance says, settling back down on the bed, the relieved look replaced with something akin to boredom. “Class was cancelled but our teacher is still making us do the work anyway, and extra because he hates us and enjoys making us all suffer.”

 

“That sucks.” Keith says, before letting silence fall over the room, knowing how Lance works best when it’s quiet.

 

The silence lasts for just less than five minutes before Lance shuffles, looking up awkwardly and sighing loudly.

 

“Did you mean it to sound so much like,” Lance’s face is unreadable all of a sudden as he falters, “you were better than me, or something?” His voice is thick with an emotion Keith can’t quite decipher and he suddenly sounds fifty times more tired.

 

Keith knows instantly what he’s talking about though and the guilt settles back in his stomach, heavy like lead. It’s highly likely that Lance hasn’t actually read any of the book and has instead been thinking of this for the past minutes, Keith swallows against the bitter taste rising in his throat.

 

“No.” Keith says honestly, “I didn’t mean it at all. I was tired and didn’t think about what I said and it hurt you.” It just sounds like an excuse to Keith so he ends it with “I’m sorry.”

 

Lance looks more content, he’s stopped fidgeting and his face looks calmer. “Okay.” He says quietly before returning to his reading. Keith breaths out a sigh of relief and smiles at Lance softly, even though the other isn’t watching.

 

Keith uses the time while Lance is distracted to study his features, the slightly skewed hair as if the other had spent plenty of time running his hands through it, the soft skin of his face that seemed to glow healthily, even with the dark bags underneath his eyes. The same brilliant blue eyes that have to scan over each page several times before he really understands the information, the ones flecked with patches of a darker blue. The way his foot taps against the bed, in time to a rhythm Keith has no hope of understanding.

 

Keith searches his mind for a word to describe how Lance looks, he comes up with _beautiful_.

 

His chest feels tight again, this time he recognises the strange sensation; _affection._

**

 

**_> > Keith Kogane to Takashi Shirogane_ **

**Keith:**  Shiro help

**Takashi:** what’s up?

**Keith:** If, theoretically, I had a crush on someone we are all friends with what would you say?

**Takashi:** it’s Lance isn’t it

**Keith:**  How did you know??

**Takashi:** Keith I’ve known you for ten years

**Keith:** But how did you guess who it was?

**Takashi:** using my super amazing deductive powers

**Takashi:** aka I noticed you staring at him last time we all hung out and though hmmmmm

**Keith:** Shiro, I only just figured it out today?? What the fuck??

**Takashi:** I’m psychic

 

**Takashi** : quick question

**Takashi:** do u prefer klance or laith?

**Takashi:** personally I prefer klance but its your choice

**Keith:** SHIRO


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for 600 kudos!! wow that's so many holy shit i'm in shock that many people likef this story enough to leave kudos, i love you guys <3<3<3

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Princess™:** is anyone free tonight

 **Princess™:** I’m bored and might let some of you come around

 **Sir Lancelot:** i am

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** are you sure???

 **Sir Lancelot:** yeah why?

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** do you not remember professor zarkon saying you’ve got a module test tomorrow at 9???

 **Sir Lancelot:** aww fuck

 **Sir Lancelot:** thanks coran

 **Sir Lancelot:** i completely forgot about that

 **Sir Lancelot:** I’m fucked

 **Sir Lancelot:** like ultra fucked

 **Sir Lancelot:** never been as fucked in my life

 **Sir Lancelot:** professor zarkon will literally eviscerate me if i get less than an 80

 **Sir Lancelot:** google search: how to kill yourself without actually dying

 **Sir Lancelot:** do you think there’s a wikihow article on that

 **Pidgeotto:** probably

 **Pidgeotto:** me and hunk are free

 **Mullet™:** I’m free

 **Space Dad™:** I’m free

 **Sir Lancelot:** come on

 **Sir Lancelot:** for fucks sake

 **Sir Lancelot:** this is cyberbulling

 **Sir Lancelot:** I’m gonna skip today’s class to study bye

 

**

 

Lance hears the door open as Hunk and Pidge enter the apartment after their afternoon class but he doesn’t stir from his cocoon of blankets, textbooks, and notes. They laugh about something, and irritation blooms in his chest. Mainly because he’s a little annoyed at himself for missing the memo about the module test and Zarkon’s module is physiology and pharmacology which Lance is _terrible_ at, the highest score he’s ever gotten being an 85, which pales in comparison to his other classmates who average around a 90.

 

He sighs, turns the page over in his book and resumes note making. His writing is messy and Lance wishes he had some coloured pens so he could at least make his notes look pretty, but alas, his educational psychologist during high school had deemed coloured pens for college too “distracting” and said they would only limit his learning.

 

Lance thought it was a load of shit but his mama had firmly stuck her foot down and said no, and Lance hadn’t dared argue because when his mom makes up her mind she is an unstoppable five-foot-two Latina woman with a _piercing_ stare and a far too intimidating stance who he is not willing to fight for fear of losing his life. Though, to be honest, the most she’d probably do is ground him for a night and confiscate the pens.

 

And now, even though he’s twenty-one, living hundreds of miles from his hometown and two years from finishing his degree, Lance still doesn’t own any coloured pens.

 

What an outrage. He makes a mental note to buy some the next time he gets some spare money.

 

Lance finds that during his internal ramble about coloured pens, Hunk and Pidge left again and the apartment is now silent. Probably to go to Allura’s. He sighs again with jealousy that he’s not there, his mind conjuring scenarios where they are all having fun, _without him_ , his mind supplies and Lance groans, frustrated.

 

He really could do with a night out relaxing but, of course, Zarkon has to ruin it. Typical.

 

Lance finishes his notes on the module, looking up to see only a few hours has passed since he sat down and Lance is suddenly thankful that his productivity outweighs the inattentiveness today because otherwise this would be even more completely awful. At least now he might actually have a chance of remembering the work.

 

He reads through his notes, then sets out to start condensing the information on each page onto a single note card. Making everything concise is harder than first thought, with the long words and complicated expressions that he can barely comprehend, but eventually he gets the hang of it, falling into a steady routine that passes the time for the next hour. Until something crashes in the apartment next door and their neighbour swears loudly, Lance laughs at this. Someone else’s misfortune providing a light-hearted break from studying.

 

It hits him then, just how tired he is. Despite it being only a little after 6pm, his eyelids blink sluggishly and the writing blurs into an unreadable mess. Lance leans backward against his pillows and instead settles for just reading through his notes. However, when his eyes close shut, he just lets himself fall into unconsciousness, too tired to protest.

 

Some hours later, he wakes with a start as the door slams shuts and promptly falls out of bed, landing tangled in his blanket and scattering paper everywhere. He swears loudly as he adjusts to waking up so suddenly.

 

The noise attracts Pidge and Hunk who are obviously just returning home, they smell slightly of alcohol, probably more Hunk than Pidge if Shiro had anything to say about it. Lance sighs as they enter his room.

 

“Did you fall asleep?” Pidge asks, her eyes wide and her mouth contorted into a teasing smirk that can only mean no good.

 

“Yes.” Lance sighs, gathering his blankets and notes into separate piles and placing them back on his bed.

 

“Dude,” Hunk begins, “when was the last time you slept for more than four hours?”

 

Lance casts his mind back, trying to think of the last time he got some decent sleep, and comes up empty. “I don’t know?” He says, shrugging. It’s not a big deal to him anyway because as long as he maintains his skincare rituals, he won’t have completely terrible skin. Horrible bags under his eyes, maybe, but they can be covered with a little patience and some good quality concealer. Neither of which he has, but he makes do.

 

“Lance. Get some sleep. Your test can wait, you look like shit and Zarkon won’t really care that much if you don’t get a good grade.” Pidge frowns at him, the sinister look gone from her face. “You can’t tear yourself apart just for one grade.”

 

Lance laughs, “You’ve never met the dude, how can you say that? _Of course,_ I need to tear myself apart for one grade, it’s everything I’ve been working towards for the past three years of my degree. I fail this test and he’ll probably kick me off the course!”

 

“Well then we won’t care whether or not you get a good grade. Just get some sleep and worry about that tomorrow.” Hunk’s tone leaves no room for argument and Lance sighs and shifts his work onto the desk.

 

“If Zarkon kills me, it’s on you. If I fail my degree, it’s on you.”

 

Hunk rolls his eyes. “Actually, it’s on you, according to Coran you were told about this test months ago.”

 

“Oh, shut up.”

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Space Mom:** we just had to have an intervention with lance

 **Mullet™:** Why?

 **Space Dad™:** why

 **Pidgeotto:** we found him sleeping with his notes

 **Pidgeotto:** turns out he hasn’t slept for longer than four hours for weeks

 **Princess™:** neither have you??

 **Pidgeotto:** but I live on caffine

 **Pidgeotto:** and i’m unstoppable

 **Pidgeotto:** lance is… lance

 **Pidgeotto:** he needs his beauty sleep

 **Princess™:** true

 **Space Dad™:** is he sleeping now??

 **Pidgeotto:** I hope so

 **Space Mom:** he literally looked dead on his feet, bless

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Sir Lancelot:** im fucked

 **Sir Lancelot:** that was impossible

 **Sir Lancelot:** keith ur in charge of organising my funeral

 **Mullet™:** Gladly.

 **Sir Lancelot:** don’t be rude about it im being serious

 **Sir Lancelot:** i figured ur just emo enough to make it dramatic

 **Mullet™:** You want a dramatic funeral?

 **Sir Lancelot:** with lots of crying and everybody being heartbroken at their loss

 **Mullet™:** I really hate you sometimes

 **Sir Lancelot:** well i hate u all the time so i guess that makes us even

 **Space Dad:** can you two stop flirting in the group chat please

 **Sir Lancelot:** um

 

**

 

**_> > Keith Kogane to Takashi Shirogane_ **

**Keith:**  SHIRO

 **Takashi:** yes?

 **Keith:** WHAT WAS THAT FOR

 **Takashi:** I’m being a Wingman

 **Keith:** you’re doing a terrible job

 **Keith:** besides lance is straight

 **Keith:** like “I don’t even think he’s ever even had a gay thought before” level straight

 **Takashi:** hmmmmm

 **Keith:** what do you mean “hmmmm”

 **Keith:** …what aren’t you saying

 **Takashi:** I don’t know anything for definite

 **Takashi:** but I have theories

 **Takashi:** I do need more evidence though

 **Takashi:** I’m not discussing it with you though so don’t even bother asking

 **Keith:** evidence for what??

 **Takashi:** you’ll see

 **Keith:** …are you

 **Keith:** keeping secrets

 **Keith:** *gasp* are you _cryptid hunting_

 **Keith:** is lance the cryptid

 **Takashi:** … kinda but no

 **Keith:** you mocked me for hunting cryptids

 **Takashi:** there is no real evidence that mothman exists

 **Takashi:** I, however, have real 100% true evidence

 **Takashi:** that I am unwilling to share without consent of the person involved

 **Takashi:** plus I need a lot more of it before my theory is confirmed

 **Keith:** don’t even start about mothman I will actually fight you

 **Keith:** but seriously,, what do you know

 **Takashi:** im not telling but

 **Takashi:** you may or may not find out at some point

 **Keith:** wrow

 **Keith:** and I thought brothers were meant to help you out

 **Keith:** and support you

 **Keith:** <//3

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Sir Lancelot:** coran do you know when zarkon will be putting the grades online

 **Sir Lancelot:** I know it’s like 2am but I’m stressing over it

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** monday, 8am I think

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** that’s what he told our class anyway

 **Sir Lancelot:** ugh that’s so long to wait

 **Sir Lancelot:** it’s actually gonna ruin my weekend

 **Sir Lancelot:** I’m gonna binge eat potato chips and watch Gilmore girls until I’ve forgotten my stress

 **Pidgeotto:** don’t stressetti, eat some spaghetti

 **Sir Lancelot:** …that’s actually a good idea

 **Sir Lancelot:** im gonna make mac n cheese and watch Gilmore girls until I’ve forgotten my stressetti

 **Pidgeotto:** share w me

 **Pidgeotto:** im too tired to get food

 **Sir Lancelot:** if you come to the kitchen and help me cook

 **Pidgeotto:** can I bring my duvet?

 **Sir Lancelot:** if you don’t mind it potentially getting ruined by our collective lack of cooking skills

 **Pidgeotto:** deal

 **Pidgeotto:** now lets stop talking in the gc cause I think everyone else is asleep

 **Sir Lancelot:** deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave kudos/comments if you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter a lil early because i'm busy for the rest of the week

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** LANCE

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** Zarkon put the test scores up

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** I got a 95!!

 **Space Dad™:** well done!

 **Space Mom:** that’s great, well done man :)

 **Princess™:** I’m proud of you!!

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** Thank you all!

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** Lance what did you get?

 

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** Lance???

 

 **Sir Lancelot:** sorry man I jus woke up

 **Sir Lancelot:** had a late night if u know what i mean ;)))

 **Pidgeotto:** gross

 **Sir Lancelot:** shush pidgey

 **Sir Lancelot:** im checking what i got now

 **Sir Lancelot:** woah guys

 **Sir Lancelot:** i got a 98?????

 **Sir Lancelot:** how the fuck did i

 **Space Mom:** lance wtf I’m so proud of you!!

 **Space Mom:** I knew you could do it!

 **Sir Lancelot:** thanks man <3

 **Princess™:** that’s so good I’m happy for you!

 **Pidgeotto:** guess ur not a complete failure congrats

 **Sir Lancelot:** thanks allura!!

 **Sir Lancelot:** and pidge i have the screenshots of u being nice to me shush

 **Sir Lancelot:** i know u have a soft side hidden under that rage

 **Pidgeotto:** LIES

 **Space Dad™:** lance share the screenshots I’m convinced she doesn’t have a soul

 **Pidgeotto:** don’t uou dare lance

 **Pidgeotto:** i will find u and I will kill you

 **Sir Lancelot:** soz shiro it's not worth it, I actually value my life

 

**

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Keith Kogane_ **

**Takashi:** are you okay?

 **Takashi:** i can hear your sad songs playlist

 **Keith:** Yeah, I guess. It’s not like I have any right to be jealous anyway.

 **Keith:** It’s not like me and Lance are dating or anything

 **Keith:** Besides, I only just figured out I liked him two days ago

 **Takashi:** doesn’t mean you can’t be upset

 **Takashi:** you’re allowed to be upset over this keith, don’t feel bad about it

 **Keith:** It just kind of sunk in how I’ll never get a chance with him.

 **Keith:** Like I know he’s straight anyway, but it didn’t feel real until today

 **Keith:** Falling for a straight guy sucks ass

 **Keith:** Fuck heterosexuals

 **Takashi:** I know, but there’s nothing you can do about it

 **Takashi:** get yourself out there, come out with me tonight for some drinks and try to get your mind off him

 **Takashi:** it’ll be fun hopefully

 **Keith:** clubs aren’t really my thing though??

 **Keith:** I’d stick out like a sore thumb

 **Takashi:** we’ll pre-drink so you’re more relaxed there

 **Keith:** deal

 

**

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Hunk Garrett_ **

**Lance:** hunk

 **Lance:** do u wanna go out tonight

 **Lance:** to celebrate me actually succeeding at something

 **Lance:** and because its a monday and we don’t have class tomorrow morning

 **Hunk:** ehh why not

 **Hunk:** got nothing better to do

 **Lance:** EXCUSE Me there is nothing better than hanging and getting drunk with ur best bud

 **Hunk:** pidge isn’t old enough to drink yet

 **Lance:** the audacity

 **Lance:** i show u love and affection and this is how u repay me??

 **Lance:** unacceptable

 **Hunk:** you know I love you really

 **Lance:** n-uh nope

 **Hunk:** mama garrett sent me a batch of homemade cookies

 **Hunk:** would I let you have ay if I didn’t love you?

 **Lance:** I LOVE U

 **Lance:** I LOVE MAMA GARRETT

 **Lance:** those cookies are outta this world

 **Lance:** u at home? im on my way

 **Hunk:** don’t you have class?

 **Hunk:** lance??

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Sir Lancelot sent an image**

**Sir Lancelot:** hunk’s mom made cookies are u jealous

 **Mullet™:** I’m lactose intolerant

 **Mullet™:** and even I’m jealous.

 **Pidgeotto:** I’m skipping my next class for some cookies

 **Pidgeotto:** before u fat fucks eat them all

 **Space Mom:** I’ll save you one

 **Pidgeotto:** I demand at least five or ill share the image of u and lance spooning when you were drunk

 **Space Mom:** there’s four left

 **Mullet™:** Share it anyway.

 **Space Dad™:** pidge don’t blackmail them

 **Pidgeotto:** not good enough

 **Pidgeotto:** sorry space dad

**Pidgeotto sent an image**

**Pidgeotto:** hunk n lance being GAY

 **Sir Lancelot:** pidge that is homophobic

 **Princess™:** AWWWWWW

 **Space Mom:** pidge lance ate the last of the cookies

 **Space Mom:** he literally just shoved four in his mouth and screamed “fuck that gremlin”

 **Space Mom:** he’s choking

 **Pidgeotto:** serves him right the lil shit

 **Pidgeotto:** he’s gonna catch these fists

 **Sir Lancelot:** u can’t reach past my knees what damage do u think u can do

 **Sir Lancelot:** come at me sweaty :-)

 **Pidgeotto:** u have five minutes until I get home to prepare

 **Sir Lancelot:** im waiting

 **Space Mom:** pidge please don’t kill lance

 **Mullet™:** Pidge please do kill Lance.

 **Pidgeotto:** the punk-ass bitch is gonna get what’s coming to him

 **Space Dad™:** children please

 **Space Dad™:** are you both gonna need a time out??

 **Pidgeotto:** ur not my father

 **Space Dad™:** no but im your space dad

 **Space Dad™:** and u are my space children

 **Space Dad™:** besides someone needs to be the responsible one

 **Sir Lancelot:** shiro u once got drunk and made a jetpack out of coke and mentos and tried to fly to pluto

 **Space Dad™:** we don’t talk about that

 **Space Dad™:** besides, it was  _kerberos_ not pluto

 **Space Dad™:** pidge you have my full permission to murder him

 **Space Dad™:** I’ll even help you hide the body

 **Sir Lancelot:** abandoned by my own parents

 **Sir Lancelot:** how will i cope

 **Mullet™:** I relate

 **Space Mom:** keith stop making orphan jokes it makes me want to smother u in hugs

 **Mullet™:** living up to that space mom reputation there I see

 **Sir Lancelot:** anyway pidge weren’t u coming to kill me

 **Sir Lancelot:** i crave death please hurry up

 **Pidgeotto:** i’m stuck in traffic

 **Pidgeotto:** curse this bus

 **Sir Lancelot:** damn it

 

 **Space Mom:** pidge hid a clown mask in the cupboard and it fell on lance

 **Space Mom:** it’s been ten minutes and he won’t stop swearing

 **Space Mom:** I think pidge broke him

 **Sir Lancelot:** my brother did the exact same thing when I was 10 ok I have an actual fear of clown masks

 **Sir Lancelot:** stop fearshaming me

 **Mullet™:** I thought you were going to kill him not just scare him

 **Sir Lancelot:** disappointing ikr, i was looking forward to finally being freed from this suffering place

 **Pidgeotto:** alright calm down edgelord

**Pidgeotto set Lance’s nickname to _ebony dark’ness dementia raven way_**

**ebony dark’ness demetia raven way:** PIDGE FUCK OFF U GREMILN

**Ebony dark’ness dementia raven way set his own nickname to _Sir Lancelot_**

**Pidgeotto set Lance’s nickname to _ebony dark’ness dementia raven way_**

**Pidgeotto:** u can’t fight the emo lance

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** isn’t keith the emo one

 **ebony dark’ness demetia raven way:** he still listens to mcr

 **Pidgeotto:** so do you???

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** but I dont cry while doing so

 **Mullet™:** Don’t expose me

**Pidgeotto cleared Lance’s nickname**

**Pidgeotto set Keith’s nickname to _ebony dark’ness dementia raven way_**

**ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** This is cyberbullying

 **Lance McClain:** am i not even worthy of a nickname

 **Pidgeotto:** no

 **Lance McClain:** harsh

**Pidgeotto set Lance’s nickname to _b’loody mary smith_**

**b’loody mary smith:**????

 **Pidgeotto:** have you never read my immortal??

 **Pidgeotto:** ur really missing out

 **b’loody mary smith:** sorry im not completely integrated in fandom culture

 **Pidgeotto:** u don’t need to be integrated in fandom culture to have read my immortal

 **Pidgeotto:** it’s a literary masterpiece

 **b’loody mary smith:** ….

 **b’loody mary smith:** im gonna read it

 **b’loody mary smith:** link me up pidge

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** LANCE NO

 **b’loody mary smith:** u cant stop me

[Pidgeotto sent a link](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8352390/2/My-Immortal-Original-story-reupload)

**Space Dad™:** the innocent child is about to be corrupted

 **Space Dad™:** this is me meeting matt all over again

 **Pidgeotto:** I still can’t believe you’re such good friends with my brother

 **Pidgeotto:** im surprised you don’t gang up to bully me

 **Space Dad™:** nah u scare us both too much for that

 **Pidgeotto:** damn right

 

 **b’loody mary smith:** i just finished reading it

 **b’loody mary smith:** i give it a 9/10

 **Pidgeotto:** it easily deserves an 11/10 what’s wrong with you

 **b’loody mary smith:** it reminded me too much of keith for a higher score

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** That is rude and uncalled for

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** I’m reporting you for cyberbullying

 **b’loody mary smith:** who u gonna report me to??? shiro????

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** actually yes

 **Space Dad™:** Lance don’t compare Keith to my immortal

 **Space Dad™:** beside you’re clearly the one who relates the most

 **b’loody mary smith:** explain

 **Space Dad™:** annoying as fuck, cares about own appearance, types with little to no grammar when emotional

 **b’loody mary smith:** bitgch???? U wanan fucking go ???? I’ll take u down mister

 **Space Mom:** lance shiro could literally pat your back and you would crumble into a trillion pieces

 **b’loody mary smith:** ur against me too???? OuTrGAE!!!!!

 **b’loody mary smith:** didnt come here to be cyberbullied

 **Pidgeotto:** how about we physically bully u instead?

**_Lance McClain left the group_ **

**ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** finally some peace and quiet

 

**

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Hunk Garrett:_ **

**Lance:** add me back to defenders of the universe

 **Lance:** it’s been an hour and i've done two assessments.. i'm bored

 **Hunk:** I’ll see what the group say

 **Hunk:** they say no

 **Lance:** rude ass hoes

 **Lance:**  p l e a s e add me back

 **Lance:** or ill spam you with kermit memes

 **Lance:** and i know exact;y how much u hate the mupets

 **Hunk:** fine

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Space Mom added Lance McClain**

**Space Mom:** he threatened me with kermit memes

 **Space Mom:** I tried to stay strong but ultimately, I’m weak

 **Lance McClain:** no one can resist the lance mcclain charm ;)

 **Princess™:** I can

 **Pidgeotto:** me too

 **Space Dad™:**  me three

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** me four

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** me five

 **Lance McClain:** this is racism

 **ebony dark’ness demetia raven way:** How??

 **Lance McClain:** because I’m cuban and you are inconveniencing me

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** Boo hoo

 **Lance McClain:** treat ur elders with respect young man!!!

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** You’re like nine months younger than me

 **Lance McClain:** when I was your age I wouldn’t have even dreamt of talking back like that!! Disgraceful.

 **Space Dad™:** lance

 **Lance McClain:** fuck the police

 

**

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Hunk Garrett_ **

**Lance:** hunk are we still going out later??

 **Hunk:** yeah man

 **Lance:** nice!!

 **Lance:** I picked up some cheap vodka and im gonna mix it with coke before we go to save money on drinks

 **Lance:**  u want some??

 **Hunk:** yea!!! I’ll be home in 10 minutes so we’ll have it then

 **Lance:** okay

 **Lance:** pidge is asking if she can have some what do I say

 **Hunk:** you say no because that is illegal and there needs to be more for us

 **Lance:** she says we can all fuck off

 **Lance:** what a pleasant child

 **Lance:** who raised her

 

**

 

**_> > Keith Kogane to Takashi Shirogane_ **

**Keith:** I brought some tequilla

 **Keith:** Go hard or go home.

 **Takashi:** I refuse to clean your vomit up if you drink irresponsibly again

 **Keith:** The point of tonight is to find me someone else to hook up with, then it can be their problem

 **Takashi:** shit you’re right… drink as much as you want then I don’t care

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Lance McClain:** hhey guys

 **Princess™:** are you drunk??

 **Lance McClain:** noooo

 **Lance McClain:** wia t maybe

 **Princess™:** where are you

 **Lance McClain:** t he han hguiut

 **Lance McClain:** I menat the hangoutout

 **Princess™:** am I okay to join you all??? Im super bored and i have nothing to do

 **Space Mom:** yes sure allura!!

 **Space Mom:** besides I need someone else to help me look after lance

 **Princess™:** how much has he drank??

 **Space Mom:** he just did a third shot and he’s had a fruity cocktail too

 **Space Mom:** plus pre-drinks

 **Princess™:** I’m on my way

 

**

 

The music of the club is loud and oppressive as Allura pushes her way through the mass of dancing sweaty bodies. Each beat seems to make the floor vibrate underneath her feet and her shoes stick to unidentified substances on the stairs. It’s the kind of place she needs to have had at least three drinks to enjoy.

 

She finds Hunk and Lance easy enough, the former looks only a bit drunk while Lance looks slightly worse for wear. There’s a stain down the side of his shirt, staining the pale material a dark blue. Probably some kind of fancy cocktail, like Hunk had mentioned.

 

She sits down beside them on the worn-out couches, ignoring the way her clothes stick to it, Lance slumps even further into Hunk and laughs to himself.

 

“He’ll be fine in a few minutes, he’s quick to get drunk but also quick to sober up.” Hunk says, laughs slightly as Lance’s eyes track someone walking beside the bar. “I also want him to actually last for the night because if he carried on at that rate he’s be absolutely shitfaced by 10pm and nobody wants that.”

 

True to his words, after a few moments pass, Lance appears more coherent, his eyes don’t look so glassy and he no longer laughs at every little thing. Allura gets up to buy them more drinks, narrowly avoiding bumping into someone who staggers blindly towards the bar. She buys them all a drink, then buys herself an extra two shots to speed up the getting drunk process.

 

She downs them one after the other, relishing the feeling of the liquor burning her throat, before picking up their drinks and returning. Lance snatches his drink out of her hand, causing her to almost spill it while she passes Hunk his drink.

 

They sit in silence for a few moments, the music too loud for them to properly talk over, before Lance stands, holding his empty cup, and motions over to the dance floor, a huge grin decorating his face. She watches him go, briefly thinks to mention later how nice his outfit looks, sans alcohol stain, before turning back to Hunk and shrugging as she stands up and grabbing Hunk’s hand. The alcohol has already made her head slightly woozy and she stumbles as she tries to pull Hunk up. She grabs his hand and drags him over to the dance floor with her.

 

The music is loud but it no longer feels oppressing, just slightly irritating. She drags Hunk until they’re stood in the centre of the mass of bodies and then she begins to dance, swaying her hips in time with the music. Hunk raises an eyebrow at her but, after she laughs at him, he joins in.

 

They dance together for a while, before she leaves to buy another drink. Her shirt sticks to her back with sweat and she wipes at her face, careful not to smudge any of her make-up. This time, she orders a shot of tequila, dabbing salt on her hand and sucking on a lime wedge as a chaser. It makes her feel more at ease and she thanks the bartender before turning around and running smack bang into Shiro.

 

She blushes softly and murmurs an apology he probably wouldn’t hear as he looks at her confused, _“What are you doing here?”_ , he mouths at her over the music and Allura responds with _“Did you not check the chat?”_

 

Shiro pulls out his phone and she can see him reading the messages, the phone screen reflects in his dark eyes. He appears to frown before he swears under his breath. _That_ she recognises even drunk, there’s an angry look in his eyes as he glances up to look around the club.

 

 _“What’s wrong?”_ she begins but he interrupts her by dragging her up the stairs and into the lounge area. It’s quieter up here, the music still vibrates the floor but the main sound in the room is chatter.

 

“We need to find Keith.” Shiro says and she frowns, confused.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I brought him here to get over Lance, and if they run into each other Keith will be pissed at me.” Shiro sounds serious but she can’t seem to process his words as anything other than _funny._

 

“Lance likes Keith?” She repeats, then furrows her brow because that’s not quite right. “No – Keith likes Lance?” She tries again and Shiro’s frown deepens.

 

“How much have you drunk?” He asks, and she tries to remember but it just floats away so she laughs again.

 

“Not much, I think.”

 

Shiro drags her over to the bar and orders some water, forcing the glass into her hand. Unwillingly, she drinks. Vaguely, she notices Shiro ordering a glass for himself. She wonders how much he’d have needed to drink to need water because the man can _definitely_ hold his alcohol.

 

It doesn’t take long for her to sober up, but Shiro is still impatient; his foot taps against the floor expectantly as he crosses his arms, the last of his water long gone after he’d downed the full glass.

 

“Why do you need me sober anyways?” She asks and he shoots her a _isn’t it obvious_ look.

 

“You’re my moral support in case things go terribly wrong. Keith can be an angry drunk.” She tries to image Keith actually angry, the only image that springs to mind is akin to a kitten playfighting. It almost makes her burst out into another round of giggles.

 

Eventually, she finishes the water and places the glass back down. “Where do we begin?” She asks.

 

“You focus on finding Lance and I’ll find Keith. Get Lance out of here, take him for ice cream or pizza or _whatever_ just get him out of here, I’ll keep Keith distracted.” Shiro says, and she frowns.

 

“Why doesn’t Lance get to stay?” Allura asks, determined to fight for Lance’s rights.

 

“Because this is for _Keith_ not Lance.” Shiro says, his voice is exasperated like it’s the fifth time he’s had to tell her that.

 

“Lance is here for a reason too?” Allura says after a moment, “He’s here to celebrate getting a good grade? What makes Keith’s reasons more important?”

 

“Because Lance won’t get upset if he sees Keith.” Shiro makes a fair point with that, Allura thinks, and she swallows down the last bit of her irritation.

 

“Okay, I’m in.” She says, nodding her head at Shiro. They walk down to the dancefloor, where both Lance and Keith were last spotted, and separate, deciding that they will cover more ground that way.

 

Allura spots Hunk first, he’s dancing with a woman slightly taller than herself. Long legs and tan skin and a shockingly pretty face, Allura is almost jealous of how happy Hunk looks. He smiles at her drunkenly as Allura grabs his arm and pull him away from the mysterious pretty woman, ignoring his shout of protest.

 

“Have you seen Lance?” She shouts at him over the music. There’s a second where he just frowns and she thinks he might not have heard, then he opens his mouth.

 

“He went that way, I think,” He gestures in the direction behind him, “Why?”

 

“Because we need to find him now.” She says, desperate to not spread Keith’s secret and hoping Hunk doesn’t press too hard for questions.

 

“But _why_?” Hunk asks, he looks more drunk than the last time she saw him. Maybe he shared one with the girl he was dancing with, she almost feels guilty about dragging him away.

 

“I’ll explain later.” She says, fulling intending on never explaining anything to him and counting on the fact that he won’t remember this specific conversation later.

 

Hunk seems to go pliant and leads her over to where he last spotted Lance. There’s a gathering of people around but none of them seem even remotely familiar. Allura scans the crowd until she spots Keith, he’s standing staring at something. His face looks like he’s just been kicked.

 

She’s confused until she follows his line of sight and _oh._ She almost feels her heart break for him.

 

Because the _ladies’ man_ Lance is currently being pushed up against a wall while someone bites down on the sensitive part of his neck, he throws his head back to hit the wall.

 

And that someone is clearly a male, despite the long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.

 

She wants to drag the two apart and to comfort Keith but the two can’t happen simultaneously. Instead, she turns drags Hunk with her, and grabs Keith’s hand, leaving Lance to do whatever he wants. He’s an adult, he can look after himself.

 

“We’re getting ice cream.” She says and Keith complies. His eyes are slightly red rimmed, but neither her or Hunk comment on it. Hunk is probably perceptive enough anyway to have figured the whole thing out months ago anyway. Keith lets himself be dragged away.

 

So, this is how she finds herself, at three am, comforting a drunk Keith and eating a tub of ice cream while watching sad films in her house. It’s textbook heartbreak and Allura wants to scream about how stereotypical this is, but instead she sits quietly and offers support in any way she can because this is about Keith, not Lance.

 

She sighs as Hunk returns from their local 24-hour shop, clutching a bag containing a bottle of vodka and a bottle of coke.

 

This is about _Keith_ , not _Lance_.

 

She opens the bottles and pours them all a drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave kudos/comments if you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhh college is kicking my ass rn and it's only been like a week sorry for the late update
> 
> i'm a lot happier with this version of the chapter though and i'm so glad i chose to rewrite this story bless up

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Princess™:** lanceee explain yiurselkf

 **Princess™:** hwy ddi you hhutt himm???

 **Princess™:** you shoulld know bteter than ot sleep wiht straandgersf anyway

 **Space Mom:** why didn;t you telll us you liked guys too lance??!

 **Space Mom:** wait this s teh group chst??? sroyr lance

 

 **b’loody mary smith:** wow

 **b’loody mary smith:** nice to know you feel like that

 **b’loody mary smith:** btw who I do or don’t sleep with isn’t any of your business at all

**Lance McClain left the group**

**Pidgeotto:** what the hell happened last night

 **Space Dad™:** basically lance made out (maybe more) with someone in a club

 **Space Dad™:** and they were kinda pissed because it hurt someone they care about

 **Space Dad™:** and they were also drunk

 **Space Dad™:** that’s all I know

 **Pidgeotto:** did lance _purposefully_ hurt whoever it was??

 **Space Dad™:** of course not

 **Pidgeotto:** what?? Then that’s not fair at all?? Especially if Lance didn’t mean to hurt whoever it was

 **Pidgeotto:** and if spending the past year living with the fucker has taught me anything it’s that he wouldn’t hurt anyone if he knew he could avoid it

 **Pidgeotto:** it’s not right to hold it against him??

 **Pidgeotto:** also congrats on outing him to most of the people in here I hope you’re happy with yourselves

 **Pidgeotto:** even if it was an accident, it’s still an extremely shitty thing to do

 

 **Space Mom:** shit shit shit

 **Space Mom:** I feel so bad fuck I don’t even know why??? I didn’t mean that at all???

 **Space Mom:** we we’re just talking about everything and keith was still upset and we wanted answers

 **Space Mom:** I meant to send that over private messages fuck

 **Space Mom:** we didn’t mean to be rude or out him or anything at all

 **Space Mom:** god we really messed this up didn’t we??

 **Pidgeotto:** it’s not us you need to apologise to

 **Space Mom:** I know

 **Space Mom:** I’m getting ready to come back to the apartment now

 **Space Mom:** have you seen lance all day??

 **Pidgeotto:** yeah he came back at about 10 and he’s pissed at both of you

 **Pidgeotto:** with good reason too tbh

 **Space Mom:** I’ll be back as soon as I can

 **Space Mom:** allura is still passed out so I may be a while

 

**

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Katie Holt_ **

**Lance:** add me back to the chat.

 **Lance:** I have some things I need to say

 **Katie:** are you sure that’s a good idea??

 **Katie:** maybe cool off for a while longer

 **Katie:** I don’t want my best friends to fall out

 **Katie:** I couldn’t cope with the awkward silences in the apartment

 **Lance:** I’m angrier at allura

 **Lance:** hunk just asked a question about something he probably should have known about anyway

 **Lance:** besides I know hunk gets careless when drunk so

 **Lance:** and (I think) he meant to send it over dms so I can’t really blame his drunk ass for being a clumsy shit

 **Lance:** even tho it fucking sucked

 **Lance:** am I overreacting?? I feel like I am

 **Katie:** no not at all!!

 **Katie:** what they did was shitty and you have a right to be angry at them

 **Katie:** I’m adding you back now

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Pidgeotto:** I want it known that I told him this was a bad idea

 **Pidgeotto:** please don’t fall out guys

**Pidgeotto added Lance McClain**

**Lance McClain:** RIGHT everyone listen the fuck up it is rant time

 **Lance McClain:** first of all: I like both guys and girls and anyone who does not fit the gender binary

 **Lance McClain:** because I’m pansexual

 **Lance McClain:** I am not ashamed of that fact, I never have been

 **Lance McClain:** I kept it a secret because I grew up in cuba which is a hugely catholic country and I was scared that my friends/family/neighbours etc. would be homophobic and I guess I just got used to keeping it secret

 **Lance McClain:** there are only three people who know and those are my mom, twin sister and second oldest brother

 **Lance McClain:** it doesn’t bother me that you all know I was actually planning on telling you at some point I just didn’t know when/how

 **Lance McClain:** secondly: to both Hunk and Allura, I’ve been told that last night you saw me make out with a guy in a night club when we were both drunk

 **Lance McClain:** you then went on to assume that I went home with him and slept with him

 **Lance McClain:** I’m gonna start this by saying I didn’t sleep with him. I stayed at his apartment yes, but I didn’t have sex with him. We made out in a club got some pizza then watched some shitty reality tv while we sobered up

 **Lance McClain:** so thank you so much for just assuming that I’d have sex with someone I don’t even know

 **Lance McClain:** not that that’s a bad thing, I just thought you knew me better than that,,

 **Lance McClain:** thirdly: why is it any of your business who I sleep with

 **Lance McClain:** whether or not I did sleep with that guy is not your concern, and you certainly have no right to call me out on it

 **Lance McClain:** you don’t get to tell me to explain myself, I don’t owe you anything

 **Lance McClain:** and finally: who did I fuck over??

 **Lance McClain:** as far as I can tell the only person fucked over here was me

 **Lance McClain:** so that’s why I’m angry

 **Lance McClain:** oh and fuck you both, don’t try and talk to me, yet anyway

**Lance McClain left the group**

**Pidgeotto:** u know what? I take it back, that was a good idea. he needed to say that and you need to listen

 **Pidgeotto:** just sort this out quickly between you guys, it’s been a few hours and I’m already tired of the fighting

 

**

 

**_> > Coran Smythe to Lance McClain_ **

**Coran:** are you okay?

 **Lance:** yeah man, just frustrated/angry I guess

 **Lance:** I think its just that they wouldn’t have said or assumed those things if it was shiro or keith

 **Lance:** I thought they knew me better than that

 **Lance:** I’m tired

 **Lance:** ill be okay in a while

 **Coran:** you have a right to be angry, you know

 **Coran:** what Allura did was unacceptable

 **Coran:** but they were drunk and I know that’s not an excuse but I know hunk feels absolutely terrible about it

 **Lance:** pffft I can never be angry at hunk for long we’ll be best buds again in an hour

 **Lance:** hunk just made a mistake as far as I know

 **Lance:** pidge was right I am soft

 **Lance:** it’s mainly allura who pissed me off anyway

 **Lance:** I just feel like I’m overreacting

 **Coran:** you’re not overreacting at all, this anger is completely justified

 **Coran:** just know that you can stay upset for as long as you want and no one will blame you

 **Lance:** thank you

 

**

 

**_> > Hunk Garrett to Lance McClain_ **

**Hunk:** lance I’m so so sorry

 **Hunk:** there’s a lot I wanna say but I don’t want to do it over text

 **Hunk:** will you let me into your room? So we can talk?

 **Lance:** two seconds, im getting changed

 **Lance:** come in

 

**

 

 

The door slides open with a loud _creak_ and Hunk feels his heart beat loudly in his chest as he catches sight of Lance, ruffled brown hair and tanned skin with dark eyes that can’t seem to focus anywhere, perched against the desk looking every bit as miserable as Hunk feels. He also looks about as hungover as Hunk is which makes him feel slightly better about this entire situation.

 

Hunk’s expecting a reaction of anger, maybe even hatred. He’s ready for Lance’s biting tone and the cold shoulder. He’s fully prepared to have to fight tooth and nail to get Lance to forgive him because he knows exactly how stubborn the other can be. Honestly, Hunk wouldn’t blame Lance if he never spoke to him again.

 

He _certainly_ doesn’t expect to be greeted by a politely smiling version of Lance. He’s already clutching a cup of coffee which makes the extra cup Hunk is holding seem useless. Hunk places the cup he got for Lance down on a clear bit of desk and clutches his own close to his chest, revelling in the warmth.

 

The room is messier than when Hunk was last here, more papers are spread around and the duvet is kicked onto the floor to make more room on the bed for paper and his laptop. There are clothes strewn on the floor as well as a bottle of moisturiser.

 

“What do you want to talk about?” Lance says, his voice is innocent and Hunk almost sighs because he should have known that Lance would never make this easy for him.

 

“I want to apologise.” Hunk states. He looks straight at Lance while he talks, his mom having conditioned into him from an early age that honest apologies come with eye contact.

 

“Mmm-hmmm.” Lance sips his coffee; his face looks bored and Hunk swallows nervously.

 

“It was unfair of me to say that to the group, and I’m sure you know that we were drunk and I can promise you one-hundred percent that I would have never even dreamt of doing that if I was sober and I know I don’t deserve forgiveness and if I was you I would literally never want to talk to me again, _oh god_ , I’m so so sorry if you want me to move out–”

 

“Hunk, you’re rambling.” Lance cuts him off and Hunk takes a deep breath, trying to dissipate the anxiety drifting through his chest.

 

“Right, okay. I guess that I just want to say I’m sorry? But the offer of me moving out still stands if you don’t want to be around me.” Hunk feels strung out and vulnerable, an elastic band ready to snap at any time from the tension.

 

“Hunk,” Lance’s voice is stern as he takes a deep breath and Hunk feels his heart drop because _oh god, this is it we will never be friends again_. “Nobody is moving out, unless we are getting rid of Pidge which I totally support, by the way.” There’s a muffled noise of protest through the walls that Lance pointedly ignores.

 

“But honestly?” Lance continues, “I’m not angry at you, I never really was.”

 

_Wait, what?_

 

“What?” Hunk asks, confused. Lance should be furious with him.

 

“I don’t hate you. Sure, I was frustrated then I let myself calm down and realised that I don’t really care. About what you did anyway, I’m still really angry at Allura right now but that’s not your problem.” Lance huffs as he says the last part and then downs the last bit of his coffee, proceeding to pick up the cup Hunk brought and start sipping that too.

 

If things were normal between them Hunk would have made a comment about caffeine overdose being unhealthy, but things aren’t normal so the silence only stretches on for longer. Hunk feels tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop because this felt too easy.

 

“Besides,” Lance adds after a moment, “You saved me having to come out to everyone. I was planning on doing it soon but I was putting it off and now it’s out there I just feel, I don’t know, lighter? Like a weight has been lifted off my chest. It’s no longer a dirty secret I need to hide from the world, if you know what I mean?”

 

“You’re welcome, I guess?” Hunk adds in a small, confused voice because he doesn’t really know what else to say. Lance laughs at him and Hunk barely has time to place his coffee down before he’s being crushed into a monster hug by Lance.

 

The other has his arms wrapped tightly around Hunk’s middle and his face pressed into the space between his neck and shoulder. Hunk returns the hug with an equal amount of vigour, the earlier anxiety faded to nothing more than a dull murmur residing in his stomach.

 

There’s something entirely calming about being wrapped in his best friend’s arms and Hunk eats it up, enjoying every second just in case this is some kind of trick, in case Lance truly does despise him. It’s unlikely, but Hunk still prepares himself for the worst because this still feels too easy.

 

“You do know that you’re like, permanently indebted to me now though.” Lance says and Hunk groans because Lance is definitely going to take advantage of this and he isn’t looking forward to it.

 

“You can start by proof reading this essay for me, before I submit it.” Lance smirks because he knows exactly how much Hunk _despises_ the technicalities of medicine, preferring the more mechanical ideas of engineering.

 

But Hunk can do that, he can read medical jargon he doesn’t quite understand and correct grammatical errors. It’s worth Lance’s friendship.

 

He can do that.

 

And he won’t even complain.

 

Much.

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Princess™:** I just woke up

 **Princess™:** I really fucked up didn’t I?

 **Pidgeotto:** yeah u did

 **Princess™:** how am I meant to make this okay?

 **Space Dad™:** that’s up to Lance im afraid

 **Space Mom:** me and lance are chill now but he’s still angry at you

 **Pidgeotto:** does that mean it’s finally safe for me to come out of my room

 **Pidgeotto:** I’ve spent four hours hiding to avoid angry™ lance

 **Princess™:** should I go and apologise in person or?

 **Princess™:** do you think he’d even want to see me???

 **Space Dad™:** you won’t know unless you try

 **Space Dad™:** if he doesn’t want to see you then don’t push it, okay?

 **Princess™:** okay.

 

**

 

**_> > Allura Altea to Lance McClain_ **

**Allura:** Lance I know you probably don’t want to see me right now but I really need to apologise, I read the group chat messages you sent and I know that I was completely in the wrong for assuming those things and saying that stuff and I’m so sorry

 **Allura:** I don’t think you did anything wrong at all and you definitely didn’t need to feel like you owed us an explanation because you are completely your own person and allowed to live how you want without us interfering

 **Allura:** tldr; I’m sorry and I feel awful

 **Lance:** that wasn’t as satisfying as I imagined

 **Lance:** I accept your apology but I’m still angry and I don’t want to see you at all at the minute and I’d appreciate it if you were to respect that

 **Allura:** of course

 **Allura:** just let me know if there’s anything I can help with

 

**

 

**_> > Keith Kogane to Takashi Shirogane_ **

**Keith:** I can feel you blaming yourself for this from two rooms away

 **Keith:** The angst is coming off you in waves

 **Keith:** Chill man, it wasn’t your fault what happened

 **Keith:** That’s all on Allura and Hunk

 **Keith:** To be honest I don’t even think I was conscious when they sent those messages

 **Takashi:** but I feel like I could have prevented this somehow?

 **Takashi:** maybe if we had gone out on a different night or gone somewhere else

 **Takashi:** or even just if I’d spent a bit more time with you that night instead of wondering off

 **Keith:** You can’t change what happened. Beating yourself up about it will only upset you

 **Takashi:** I know that its just

 **Takashi:** I feel bad for lance

 **Takashi:** he really drew the short straw here

 **Keith:** Me too, and I’m the supposed upset one

 **Keith:** I got over being upset pretty quickly because it’s what I expected, you know what I mean?

 **Keith:** But they outed him to the group and that’s really gross

 **Keith:** it’s a huge invasion of privacy and it being an accident doesn’t excuse what they did

 **Keith:** I would have literally ran away and never spoken to any of you again.

 **Takashi:** honestly same? Lance got over it far quicker than I ever wold have, he’s too forgiving for his own good

 **Takashi:** bet you’re glad it’s out in the open though ;))

 **Keith:** Not the time, Shiro

 **Takashi:** but seriously are you okay with all of this?

 **Keith:** I’m conflicted? Like it was easier to like him when I knew there wasn’t a chance of him liking me back because I thought he was straight

 **Keith:** But now, he’s out as pan and it hurts even more because he likes guys but he doesn’t like /me/

 **Keith:** And we’re good friends at the minute, I don’t want to fuck that up by pining uncontrollably

 **Takashi:** you won’t end up messing this up

 **Takashi:** even if Lance didn’t like you back he wouldn’t be a dick about it if he found out

 **Keith:** What do you mean “even if” he definitely doesn’t like me back

 **Takashi:** what makes you so sure of that?

 **Keith:** Because he’s Lance and I’m Keith, we’re like polar opposites

 **Takashi:** all I’m saying is don’t give up hope yet

 **Takashi:** until you get solid confirmation he doesn’t like you, try not to get too down about it

 

**

 

**_> > Katie Holt to Lance McClain_ **

**Katie:** is it definitely safe to come back yet

 **Katie:** no danger of impromptu visits from allura

 **Lance:** I hope not

 **Lance:** me and hunk are watching masterchef come and join us

 **Lance:** gordon ramsay is a fuckin savage

 **Katie:** omw

 

**

 

**_> >_ _Defenders of the universe_**

**Space Mom:** who made me the official group mother figure

 **Space Mom:** who made me and shiro the official group parents

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** well we need SOMEBODY to guide us

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** y’all saw what happened today

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** without a stable leadership we would crumble

 **Space Dad™:** I’m too young to have children

 **Space Dad™:** I’m only seven

 **Pidgeotto:** boo-hoo

 **Pidgeotto:** lance says we need an “adultier adult” to guide us

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** you called?

 **Pidgeotto:** lance says coran is like the cool uncle who only appears at family gatherings with weird gifts and stories of adventures that sound made up

 **Pidgeotto:** he’ll do as a “adultier adult”

 **Pidgeotto:** lance asked me to add him back

 **Pidgeotto:** lance incoming

**Pidgeotto added Lance McClain**

**Lance McClain:** henlo friends

 **Lance McClain:** hellllo stinky friends

 **Lance McClain:** did u miss me?

 **Pidgeotto:** did you just use an old meme? damn you’re slacking ://

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** I already miss the quiet :/

 **Lance McClain:** excuse me I know u secretly find my presence endearing mullet brain

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** That is not correct

 **Lance McClain:** sure babe;)

 **Pidgeotto:** now you’re out as pan are you gonna hit on everyone

 **Lance McClain:** only people I find attractive

 

**

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Keith Kogane_ **

**Takashi:** keith I can feel the blush from here

 **Takashi:** WAIT are you listening to the Pining Playlist™

 **Keith:** I don’t have a pining playlist fuck off shiro

 **Takashi:** you totally are

 **Takashi:** awwww

 **Keith:** lance flirts with everyone anyway, what makes me different

 **Keith:** he’ll flirt with you or hunk next, trust me

 **Takashi:** I’ll believe it when I see it

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Pidgeotto set Lance’s nickname to _knife fetish_**

**knife fetish:** pidge

 **knife fetish:** I hate you

 **Coran Coran the gorgeous man:** …knife fetish??

 **knife fetish:** PIDGE DON’T U DARE

 **Pidgeotto:** he said when gordon ramsay chops vegetables it turns him on

 **Pidgeotto:** therefore, knife fetish

 **knife fetish:** fUCk#DONT TAKE THIS OUT OF CONTEXT

 **knife fetish:** don’t kinkshame me ok

 **Pidgeotto:** there is no context you literally just came out with that shit

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** I am definitely kinkshaming you

 **Space Dad™:** lance

 **knife fetish:** I’m not even sorry

 **knife fetish:** I’ve accepted who I am

 **Pidgeotto:** I bet ur a fuckin furry too

 **knife fetish:** my fursona is a wolf

 **Space Dad™:** children

 **Space Dad™:** keep it pg please

 **knife fetish:** you can’t stop me

 **Princess™:** lance did u drink too much caffeine

 **knife fetish:** two cups

 **knife fetish:** not even a lot but

 **knife fetish:** im running full speed ahead y dudes

 **knife fetish:** fUCK

 **Space Dad™:** oh my god

**knife fetish:** im still awake end my lfie

 **knife fetish:** pplease it’s the merciful thing t o do

 **knife fetish:** I’m so ttired

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** Just go to sleep

 **knife fetish:** I fuckin would if I could mullet

 **ebony darkness dementia raven way:** Well at least let us sleep.

 **knife fetish:** fine.

 **knife fetish:** just wanted to talk to my friends but ://

 **knife fetish:** I can’t even act annoyed im just too freaking tired ubut I cant stop!!!! Gotta keep moving!! My mind, body and spirit have accepted the sweet oncoming release of death

 **knife fetish:** holy fuck its 4:20 blaze it

 

 **Space Dad™:** lance how are you feeling this fine morning

 **knife fetish:** I feel like I was hit by like five trucks

 **knife fetish:** don’t even joke this is horrible

 **Space Mom:** I’ll bring you some coffee

 **Knife fetish:** this is why you two are the group parents

 

**

 

**_> > Allura Altea to Lance McClain_ **

**Allura:** I know you’re still annoyed at me

 **Allura:** but I got the job at Sephora

 **Allura:** and that comes with 40% staff discount

 **Allura:** so I’m buying you whatever face/makeup shit you want until you forgive me

 **Lance:** you can’t buy my forgiveness im not that shallow

 **Lance:** though I wouldn’t turn down a new concealer

 **Lance:** one condition though: tell me who I supposedly fucked over

 **Lance:** it’s been eating me up inside since yesterday and I just???? want to know

 **Allura:** it’s not really my place to say who

 **Allura:** but there was someone there who _likes_ you and seeing you making out with someone upset them and

 **Allura:** that’s it

 **Lance:** well it had to be someone you care about and know well to get that upset

 **Lance:** hmmmm

 **Lance:** ill figure this out

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave kudos/comments if you enjoyed<3  
> have a good day, i lov u all<3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the Super Long break. personal things happened and are still happening so i can't guarentee when the next update will be so i'm sorry :(
> 
> let me know if there's any mistakes because i cba to read through it... just take this... please....

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Pidgeotto:** help

 **Space Dad™:** what?

 **Space Dad™:** why?

 **Space Mom:** lance is speaking rapid spanish in the kitchen

 **Space Mom:** we are too scared to leave our rooms

 **Space Mom:** he sounds ANGERY

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** How is that scary?

 **Pidgeotto:** L I S T E N

**Pidgeotto sent an audio message**

**ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** I understand

 **Space Mom:** he sounds so scary though wtf

 **Space Mom:** who is he talking to

 **Pidgeotto:** himself???

 **Pidgeotto:** I think he just swore

 **Pidgeotto:** why does he sound so intense in spanish

 **Space Mom:** ikr it’s weird

 **knife fetish:** im talking to my mom

 **knife fetish:** just found out my birth dad’s last name

 **knife fetish:** it’s sanchez

 **knife fetish:** H OW MUCH ETTER DOES THAT SOUND THAN MCCLAIN

 **knife fetish:** shame on my mom for remarrying a white guy

 **Space Mom:** did we just hear you swear at your mom?

 **knife fetish:** do u really think i would do that

 **knife fetish:** i did however just ask her to divorce my stepdad and marry my birth dad again so i could have a Cuban sounding last name

 **Space Dad:** why does your last name matter so much anyway?

 **knife fetish:** are u kidding me Lance Sanchez sounds so much better than Lance McClain

 **knife fetish:** mcclain is so boring and so _white_

 **Space Dad:** nothing wrong with having a white name

 **knife fetish:** imma go ahead and pretend you didn’t say that

 **knife fetish:** ugh

 **Space Mom:** ok he’s back to screaming Spanish

 **Space Mom:** pray for us

 

 **knife fetish:** first of all I wasn’t screaming, I was _shouting_

 **knife fetish:** big difference

 **knife fetish:** I was talking to sofia that time

 **knife fetish:** lil bitch stole the soft blanket i accidentally left at home and spilt ice cream on it

 **knife fetish:** disgraceful amirite

 **Space Mom:** is THAT why you just spent 20 mins screaming on the phone

 **knife fetish:** i wasn’t screaming!!

 **knife fetish:** i am not sorry though

 **knife fetish:** she just said she’d buy me another one for when I next go back

 **knife fetish:** the weak will always crumble

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** Then why haven’t you crumbled yet :/

 **Pidgeotto:** REKT

 **knife fetish:** smh keithy didn’t you read my message i haven’t crumbled because im not weak

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** Once you called me to open a jar for you when both hunk and pidge were away

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** It was 3am

 **knife fetish:** THAT WAS A SECRET WHAT THE FUCK WHy would u betray me like this  </3

 **knife fetish:** u did it though the real mvp

 **Space Dad™:** keith has never been able to resist helping out those he cares about :p

 **Pidgeotto:** once I needed keith to help me out with a group project and he ignored me for six days

 **Princess™:** he must not care about you then

 **knife fetish:** get rekt pidgey

 

**

 

**_Allura Altea created a new group_ **

**_Allura Altea added Takashi Shirogane, Hunk Garrett, Coran Smythe, Katie Holt_ **

****

**Allura Altea:** is it just me or do Keith and Lance flirt far too much to be bros™

 **Hunk Garrett:** nah man that whole “rivalry” thing was so gay

 **Takashi Shirogane:** do you guys think Lance actually likes Keith or??

 **Katie Holt:** hell yes man have you seen the way they interact

 **Katie Holt:** im a lesbian and I still noticed

 **Takashi Shirogane:** ok I have a secret but

 **Takashi Shirogane:** you have to promise not to tell either of the people involved that I told u

 **Hunk Garrett:** does keith like lance?

 **Takashi Shirogane:** how did u guess?

 **Hunk Garrett:** good deductive skills

 **Hunk Garrett:** and your earlier messages kinda gave it away

 **Allura Altea:** then we need to establish for definite if Lance likes Keith before we meddle

 **Coran Smythe:** meddle?? Allura what would your father say

 **Allura Altea:** he lives in a completely different time zone what he would say doesn’t matter

 **Allura Altea:** but if he had to watch those two interact he’d probably wanna meddle too

 **Allura Altea:** are you in or not??

 **Takashi Shirogane:** heck yes

 **Katie Holt:** yes

 **Hunk Garrett:** yes

 **Coran Smythe:** Yes

**Takashi Shirogane changed the group name to _Operation Klance_**

**Hunk Garret:** perfect

**Katie Holt set her own nickname to Eagle One**

**Katie Holt set Hunk’s nickname to It Happened Once In A Dream**

**Takashi Shirogane:** pidge, please

 **Eagle One:** …fine

 **Eagle One:** u would have been eagle two but w/e

**Hunk Garret set his own nickname to Hunk**

**Takashi Shirogane set his own nickname to Shiro**

**Shiro:** but what even is Operation Klance??

 **Allura Altea:** when a suitable opportunity presents itself we must act with the intentions of getting them together

 **Allura Altea:** after first establishing a mutual attraction

 **Eagle One:** wow you’ve actually thought hard about this

 **Allura Altea:** I’m a law student, I’m good at this shit

 **Shiro:** but how do we establish mutual attraction

 **Shiro:** Lance is like a closed book: we thought we knew everything about that boy but then????

 **Hunk:** leave that up to me my dudes

 

**

 

**_> > Hunk Garret to Lance McClain_ **

**Hunk:** dude

 **Hunk:** why didn’t you tell me you and Keith were a couple???

 **Lance:** WHAT

 **Lance:** we’re not????

 **Lance:** I mean he’s cute and all but we’re not dating

 **Hunk:** shiro said he thought you were????

 **Lance:** if we are its news to me

 **Hunk:** do you like _like_ him though?

 **Hunk:** sure seems like you do

 **Lance:** nope

 **Hunk:** ohmygod you did the nervous laughing thing I heard it from my room

 **Hunk:** you totally wanna suck his dick

 **Lance:** im /this/ close to blocking you

 **Lance:** if it’ll get you to never talk about this with me again I’ll admit it

 **Hunk:** fine I’ll never talk to you about it again if you confess your undying love

 **Lance:** it’s not undying love

 **Lance:** it’s just I think he’s cute and innocent and so smart and he cares so so much??? About everyone??? And then tries to hide it by acting all “oooh im keith and im part korean and I wear cropped jackets and ride moterbikes because im hardcore”

 **Lance:** and he’s also so fuckin ??? weird ??? he has like a diary full of cryptids and bonds with pidge over mothman??? what a fuckin dork???? ALSO he has a fuckin mullet??? like some discount billy ray cyrus but it suits him and never ever tell anyone I said this or I will mcfreakin hunt you down but its kind of endearing and I just wanna run my hands through it because it looks so so soft

 **Lance:** this is the cheesiest shit but I just wanna kiss him and tell him how much he means to me and also sleep with him not even in a sexual way I just want to sleep beside him and cook him breakfast even though id probs burn it and ruin everything but I wanna know everything about him in the most honest sense of the words

 **Hunk:** wow man that’s deep

 **Hunk:** you got it so bad for him

 **Lance:** HUNK I know ok

 **Hunk:** why don’t u just?? tell him???

 **Lance:** i think the fuck not u trick ass bitch

 **Lance:** I’d rather maintain my dignity

 **Lance:** anyway I have an assignment due I’ll get back to u later gotta get my Hyperfocus™ on amirite

 **Lance:** u ever mention any of this conversation again, to me or anyone else, I will personally eviscerate you

 **Hunk:** noted

 

**

 

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Hunk sent two images**

**Hunk:** screenshots of lance confessing in the most dramatic and cheesiest way ever, as promised

 **Eagle One:** on second thoughts

 **Eagle One:** do we really want these two together if this is how they will act

 **Eagle One:** are we really willing to endorse teeth rotting fluff???

 **Eagle One:** think of the children

 **Allura Altea:** which children?

 **Eagle One:** ME

 **Hunk:** pidge you’re 20

 **Hunk:** therefore not a child

 **Eagle One:** so im only a child when you don’t want me to do something rash and irresponsible

 **Eagle One:** i see how it is in this family

 **Shiro:** pidge aren’t you 21 in like three weeks???

 **Eagle One:** yes and I can’t wait to get fucKIN LIT

 **Shiro:** I have a plan

 **Shiro:** not a good plan but it’s something

 **Shiro:** we start by throwing pidge a birthday party

 **Allura:** my place should work for that???

 **Shiro:** then get both of them suitably drunk

 **Shiro:** then boom! klance

 **Hunk:** that’s not a terrible plan

 **Hunk:** we all know what lance is like when drunk bless him

 **Eagle One:** ok I have a suggestion

 **Eagle One:** drinking games

 **Eagle One:** lowkey sexual ones e.g. spin the bottle or truth or dare or never have I ever

 **Eagle One:** or just give them two bottles of vodka and lock them in a closet for six hours

 **Allura Altea:** I hear drinking games and I raise you: _hot tub_

 **Eagle One:** how about: _drinking games in a hot tub_

 **Hunk:** you’re both geniuses and I am a little scared of how good you are at planning this

 **Coran Smythe:** I think this could actually work?

 **Shiro:** as long as lance or keith don’t massively fuck up we should be good

 **Coran Smythe:** please don’t speak too soon

 

**

 

**_Lance McClain created a group_ **

**_Lance McClain added Katie Holt and Hunk Garrett_ **

****

**Lance McClain:** which one of u absolute heathens drank the last of the milk

 **Lance McClain:** I just want some coffee

 **Katie Holt:** drink it without milk then you absolute wet wipe

 **Lance McClain:** sorry I actually respect my taste buds

**Lance McClain set the group name to _heathens_**

**Hunk Garrett:** wasn’t me man

 **Katie Holt:** maybe you drank it and didn’t realise?

 **Lance McClain:** u lil shit pidge

 **Lance McClain:** im gonna get u back for that

 **Katie Holt:** im gonna tell shiro you threatened me

 **Lance McClain:** go for it u demon

 

**

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Pidgeotto:** shiiiiiirrrrrrrrooooooo

 **Pidgeotto:** lance threatened me

 **knife fetish:** what was I supposed to do you drank the last of the milk

 **knife fetish:** absolute fuckin disgrace

 **Space Dad™:** lance don’t threaten people

 **Space Dad™:** pidge?? why did you drink the last bit of milk?

 **Pidgeotto:** I needed it for my cereal

 **knife fetish:** and I need it for my coffee

 **Space Dad:**  lance just go and buy some more milk

 **knife fetish:** but

 **knife fetish:** ok fine I need a break anyway

 **knife fetish:** brb

 **Princess™:** want me to meet u so we can go shopping??

 **knife fetish:** allura its almost 5pm

 **knife fetish:** most shops are shutting soon

 **Princess™:** sephora doesn’t shut until 8 and I believe I may owe you any product of your choosing

 **knife fetish:** shit ur right

 **knife fetish:** pick me up in ten

 **Princess™:** ok b

 **ebony dark’ness dementia raven way:** Why do you owe him stuff?

**ebony dark’ness dementia raven way set his own nickname to _edgelord_**

**edgelord:** Much better

 **Princess™:** after the fiasco that was Friday

 **Princess™:** we came to an agreement based on beauty products

 **edgelord:** oh ok

 **edgelord:** Have fun.

 

**

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Hunk:** is it just me or does keith seem lowkey jealous of lance and allura

 **Shiro:** well lance did used to flirt with allura all of the time so

 **Coran Smythe:** maybe he just wants in on the beauty products who knows

 **Eagle One:** keith has a fuckin mullet I don’t think he understands the concept of beauty

 **Eagle One:** I don’t think he’s ever even owned any beauty products

 **Shiro:** harsh

 **Allura Altea:** can those two idiots sort their feelings out please

 **Allura Altea:** if lance does anything that even resembles pining then I will literally beat him to death

**

 

**_> >Allura Altea to Lance McClain_ **

**Allura:** im outside

**

 

Lance finishes pulling on his sneakers just in time to receive the text from Allura. He shouts a farewell through the apartment and closes the door behind him, not staying long enough to hear whether Pidge or Hunk respond. He figures they’ll know where he is anyway.

 

The walk out seems to take longer than it usually does, probably due to his blossoming anxiety over seeing Allura for the first time since Friday. He’s still not forgiven her, same with Hunk really, he’s just decided that it’s easier to be friends with them and civil. And besides, if it gets him free beauty products who is he to complain? As his mother would say, he’s taking the high road.

 

He pushes the door open and spots Allura’s black car parked across the road, she’s not looking; instead her face is looking down, probably at something on her phone. Lance crosses the road quickly, pulling his jacket tighter around himself to shield him from the freezing wind. Despite it being spring, the wind is still far too cold for him to deal with, especially compared to the warmth of Cuba, and it chills him down to the bone.

 

Lance knocks on the window, still weary of sneaking up on Allura after that one time she gave him a black eye after he saw her in public and tapped her on the shoulder. She jolts in her seat and looks at him with a panicked, almost guilty, expression. He brushes it off as leftover remorse from Friday and climbs into the car, already feeling eager for this experience to be over. The warmth of his bed is calling to him.

Allura says hello and starts the car, he notices that she’s wearing the bracelet he bought her for her birthday last year because the pink and gold intertwining colours had reminded him of her. It brings back a wave of nostalgia and he wishes briefly to go back to that, his naïve belief that Allura could do no wrong as opposed to the slightly bitter feeling he now gets every time he thinks about her.

 

The car ride passes in silence but before long they’ve arrived at the mall, Allura smiles at him softly as he exists the car and extends her arm. Lance hesitates briefly before intertwining it with his own and walking beside her into the mall. He tries to pretend that the sour taste in his mouth isn’t a hint of distrust and instead swallows his discomfort.

 

 The walk to Sephora is longer than expected but they fill it with a pleasant chatter that helps to dispel the heavy feeling weighing him down, Lance tries instead to focus on what he’s going to get, weighing the pros and cons of each item on his list, discussing it with Allura when appropriate.

 

Eventually, they arrive at the shop. Lance stands in the doorway for a split second, overwhelmed by choice, before he disconnects their linked arms and heads over to the face mask section and selects a fruity one, he’s ready for that to be it, but Allura flashes her card at him and winks.

 

“Get as much as you want, it’s on me.” She says with a smirk and a wink.

 

Lance doesn’t need to be told twice and soon he’s ruffing around the moisturisers and cleansers trying to pick one out that isn’t too expensive but still smells pleasant. He settles for a cucumber scented moisturiser that made the back of his hand feel abnormally soft when he tested it. He’s almost made it back to Allura, who’s stood looking at colourful eyeshadow pallets, when he spots something that makes his head turn.

 

A stand, filled entirely with mascara. The same kind his older sister had insisted on testing on him when she got it at Christmas. Lance had liked the way it made his eyelashes looking longer, truly complementing his long face shape and drawing attention to his eyes. Unfortunately, his rather religious family had made their opinion on men wearing makeup clear and, despite living away from home he still highly valued their opinions. With a wistful sigh, he heads over to the stand and picks up a small tube, inspecting it.

 

“Get it, if you want to.” Allura appears from behind him, almost making him jump out of his own skin.

 

Lance frowns, “But it’s weird.” He says, for lack of a better word to describe his inner conflict.

 

“How so?” She asks, puzzled. “Makeup is for everyone, it’s not necessarily a gendered product, that’s like the first thing they taught me on the induction.”

 

Lance tries to think of a valid argument, he really does, but eventually he caves and agrees with her out of a mixture of curiosity and excitement at getting his own makeup. There’s a heavy weight in his stomach, guilty almost. He can see his parent’s reactions in his head and they would not be happy. Lance picks up a tube and adds it to the face mask and moisturiser he’s ready to buy.

 

Allura turns around, a concentrated look on her face, before wrapping a hand around his wrist and pulling him along. She stops at a stand filled with different skin colour tubes; _concealers_. With an inpatient huff, she picks up his hand and begins testing assorted shades, Lance lets her out of curiosity to see where this is going. After a few moments, she cheers in triumph and holds up a tan tube and a soft applicator brush.

 

“Do you want it?” She asks, deadly serious and completely non-judgemental. He can see how she’d be good for this job.

 

“Yes.” He says, without hesitation this time.

 

**

 

An hour and a half later, he arrives back at their apartment. Two hours later, he’s done his own makeup for the first time ever. A new emotion sits in his chest, he thinks it could be affection for the silver-haired beauty who bought him the cosmetics. Despite her many flaws, Allura can be a good friend, he decides. Going out was definitely a good idea, there’s no trace of the earlier bitterness that rested in his stomach.

 

It’s almost 9pm when he finally clicks upload on the selfie he took, one from an angle that shows his long eyelashes and perfectly concealed skin off effortlessly. Without even bragging, he looks _hot._

 

Maybe, he thinks bitterly, this is what it’ll take to get Keith to notice him.

 

**

 

**_> > Keith Kogane to Takashi Shirogane_ **

**Keith:** SHIRO

 **Keith:** I’ve never been as GAY

 **Keith:** he’s wearing makeup

 **Keith:** and he’s absolutely adorable

 **Keith:** ugghhhhh

 

**

 

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Shiro sent an image**

**Shiro:** look at this

 **Shiro:** allura what did you do

 **Eagle One:** the lords work

 **Allura Altea:** _the right thing_


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >> Defenders of the universe  
> knife fetish: ok not to be dramatic but how do straight people exist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hewwwo?
> 
> Nicknames:   
> pidgeotto/eagle one – pidge  
> Princess™ - allura  
> knife fetish – lance  
> edgelord – keith  
> Space Dad™ - shiro  
> Space Mom – hunk  
> coran coran the gorgeous man – coran

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**knife fetish:** ok not to be dramatic but how do straight people exist

**Space Mom:** you accidentally fell in love with a guy you made eye contact with for 0.2 seconds didn’t you

**knife fetish:** no im just thinking about guys in general

**Space Mom:** or about one specific guy amirite

**knife fetish:** ksksahfkf maybe

**Pidgeotto:** not to be gay but girls are cute

**Pidgeotto:** actually, no fuck that

**Pidgeotto:** full gay, girls are cute

**Princess™:** oh worm

**edgelord:** full gay, boys are cute

**knife fetish:** wow is anyone in the group chat a Heterosexual™?

**Space Dad™:** no

**knife fetish:** thank god

**knife fetish:** not to be cisheterophobic but I’m glad none of u are cishets

**Pidgeotto:** I bet lotor is a cishet

**edgelord:** who’s lotor?

**Princess™:** this dude who lives next door to me and flirts with me all the time

**Princess™:** he’s really creepy

**Princess™:** of course he’s a cishet pidge

**Space Dad™:** since when did calling people cishet become an insult

**knife fetish:**  since cishets existed

**Space Dad™:** that’s Valid

**knife fetish:** ngl shiro I thought you were cishet until like last month

**Space Dad™:** understandable, have a nice day

**Pidgeotto:** that’s…. very passive aggressive

**Pidgeotto:** lance I would be scared if I was you

**Space Dad™:** I was actually planning to prank someone anyway this has just made me chose who

**knife fetish:** wAIT WHAT WHY

**knife fetish:** you’re gonna prank me? In this economy? Disgusting and panphobic

**Space Dad™:** tragic

**Space Dad™:** I actually have the prank planned out already I just need to buy a few things

**Knife fetish:** wait you’re actually pranking me I thought you were joking SHIRO pls

**knife fetish:** bls….. don’t disturb my college notes if you go into my room or I’ll kill you

**knife fetish:** why did you even decide to prank me anyway?? What did I do??

**Space Dad™:** I had a good idea and you said you thought I was cishet AND you’re the person least likely to hurt me back

**knife fetish:** uh explain why you think I’m least likely to hurt you

**Space Dad™:** allura: knows several kinds of martial arts, scary. Could beat me to a pulp if she tried

**Space Dad™:** pidge: knows how to hack literally anything. Could ruin my life in seconds without even moving from her bedroom

**Space Dad™:** keith: literally my adopted brother. Knows more about me than I’m comfortable with and is very willing to share it

**Space Dad™:** coran: also knows martial arts but too kind to prank. I would just feel guilty

**Space Dad™:** hunk: an actual angel. Pranking him would be like kicking a puppy and would cause me actual physical pain

**knife fetish:** that’s all valid but I have one (1) criticism

**knife fetish:** hunk is not an angel, evidence: reads my diary whenever im out

**knife fetish:** please feel free to leave me the fuck alone !

**Space Dad™:**  srry no can do! I’m off to the shops and then im coming 2 your house! You have about half an hour to prepare *smirking emoji*

**knife fetish:**..w….h…..wh…..why did you type out the emoji why not just send it what the fuck

**Space Dad™:** *middle finger emoji* *fist emoji*

**knife fetish:** is that a fucking threat shiro

 

**

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Keith Kogane_ **

**Lance:** has shiro actually left the house

**Keith:** he left like 20 minutes ago

**Lance:** sHIT oh my god he’s serious

**Lance:** shiro would crush me between his pinky finger and thumb

**Lance:** and then coran wouldn’t even be able to save me because we haven’t covered trauma yet

**Lance:** can I come crash at yours for a bit??

**Keith:** if you want

**Keith:** I think shiro left the door unlocked??

 

**

Lance tries the handle, pleased to find that Keith was right and it was already unlocked. The hallway is dark, some light shines through the gap underneath the living room door. Lance pushes it open slowly, glancing around as if Shiro would be hiding in the dark room ready to jump out, (Lance already knows Shiro isn’t here because his car is gone, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared).

 

“Shiro isn’t here.” Keith says from his spot on the couch, curled up into a ball and resting his laptop on the couch next to his thigh, he shifts, and Lance can see the screen, a TV program is paused on it.

 

“Do you know when he’s gonna be back?” Lance asks.

 

“No idea, whenever he’s done with what he’s got planned.” Lance visibly turns pale at that statement.

 

“Do you know what that is?” Lance asks, nervous of the answer

 

“No idea, probably bad though.” Keith supplies, laughing up at Lance. “When I challenged him to a prank war once, it lasted until Shiro replaced my shampoo with bleach and my hair turned this weird patchy colour. It was a mess and I didn’t talk to him for months.”

 

“I – I’m scared. Like, actually scared of Shiro. If he even thinks about touching my hair, I’ll steal his prosthetics and paint them a really ugly colour.” Lance collapses onto the couch beside Keith and sighs. “What are you watching anyway?”

 

“X Files.” Keith says in the exact instant Lance notices that Keith is only wearing a thin black t-shirt and some tight-fitting sweatpants. There’s a blanket discarded on the floor. Lance feels overdressed, so he discards his jacket, dropping it into a heap by the couch.

 

“Are you actually ready for bed?” Keith goes to defend himself, but Lance talks again before he has the chance. “It’s _7:30pm_?”

 

Keith rolls his eyes. “I’m tired, fight me.”

 

“Another time, maybe.” Lance says, scooting up to sit directly next to Keith. “Play it because I’m probably gonna be here for a while and we need to do something to pass the time.”

 

Keith laughs at him. “At least go grab us some snacks from the kitchen.”

 

Lance huffs but gets up anyway, returning a few seconds later with a bag of chips to share between them and a can of soda each. With a sigh and a shuffle to try and get more comfortable, Keith presses play.

 

Lance manages to stay awake for the first few episodes, then as it begins to get late, his eyes slowly start to close, and it suddenly becomes awfully hard to stay focused. He lets his attention drift from the laptop and his eyes shut slowly.

 

Keith only notices when Lance’s head flops sideways onto his shoulder. His first instinct is to pull away, then he thinks about what a good opportunity for blackmail this is and pulls out his phone, awkwardly angling the camera to show Lance’s sleeping face. It’s then that Keith notices how peaceful Lance looks while asleep, his eyelashes look impossibly long, and his face is relaxed in a way that never quite happens when he’s awake. Keith takes the photo, but he doesn’t send it to the group chat like his original plan was. There’s something beautiful in the way Lance’s face looks and Keith wants to keep it all for himself.

 

Next; Keith notices just how intimate this is, _Lance fell asleep on his shoulder_. That’s not exactly everyday things that happen among friends. His heart races in his chest and with a shove of determination, he forces his mind away from those thoughts and back into safer areas, like the episode of X Files still playing. He leaves Lance’s head resting on his shoulder.

 

Keith watches another two episodes before he joins the other in the land of sleep and lets his head rest against Lance’s.

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Space Dad™:** Lance it’s safe for you to come back I’ve finished

**Princess™:** ….what did you do???

**Space Mom:** is our apartment safe

**Space Mom:** im not gonna be woken up by lance screaming am i

**Pidgeotto:** nope

**Space Mom:** pidge why did you help him

**Pidgeotto:** you know I love the idea of getting revenge on Lance

**Space Mom:** ok true

**Space Dad™:** lance??? Where you at??

**Space Dad™:** I wanna see your reaction

**Space Mom:** maybe he’s asleep

**Space Dad™:** if he’s asleep anywhere it’s not here because I’m still stood in his room

**Space Dad™:** its so messy in here how does he cope

**Space Mom:** he calls it Organised Chaos™

**Space Dad™:** Lance hurry back to your organised chaos

 

 

**Space Dad™:** ok it’s been an hour im bored now im going back home

**Pidgeotto:** I’ll let you know his reaction when he gets back

**Space Dad™:** a true friend™

 

**Space Dad™:** ok I solved the mystery of where Lance is

**Space Dad™ sent an image**

**Princess™:** ADORABLE

**Pidgeotto:** klance is on the rise !

**Space Mom:** did they actually fall asleep on each other

**Space Mom:** that’s pretty gay

**Coran the gorgeous man:** thats the cutest shit I swear to god

**Coran the gorgeous man:** there isn’t a heterosexual explanation for this

**Pidgeotto:** ikr!! operation klance might actually be a success

**Space Mom:** shush pidge don’t speak those words in this chat

**Pidgeotto:** what? success?

**Space Mom:** you know exactly what I mean

**knife fetish:** ij ust woke up an d checked the chat]

**knife fetish:** it’s 4:33 am btu levae us alo ne

**knife fetish:** ok im going back to slepe

 

**Space Mom:** was lance ok??

**Space Mom:** SHIRO are they still asleep

**Space Mom:** I need to know

**Space Mom:** shhirrroooo

**Pidgeotto:** dude some of us need to sleep

**Space Mom:** shut up pidge you’re always messaging the chat at 4am

**Pidgeotto:** but I don’t have any 9am classes

**Pidgeotto:** this is when I get all of my sleep

**Pidgeotto:** and you’re disturbing it

**Space Mom:** idc

**Space Mom:** im tryna get shiro

**Space Mom:** I know he has a 9am class so he should be awake now

**Space Mom:** answer up u lil bithc

**Space Mom:** shiro pls

 

**

 

Keith wakes up to his phone buzzing incessantly and reaches across the bedsheets to turn it off. Only there’s someone laid on top of him, and he’s not in his own bed. He panics for a fraction of a second before he recognises the framed photo of Shiro and himself from when they were both teenagers stood on a shelf.

 

So, he’s still in their apartment. But who is laid on top of him? He can’t see anything past a mop of bedraggled dark brown hair and a black sweatshirt, until the unidentified lump shifts slightly, allowing Keith a glimpse of his face.

 

_Lance_. Suddenly, memories of the night before come rushing back and Keith is left feeling slightly anxious about the whole thing. Especially since they fell asleep leaning on each other and he woke up laid down with Lance sprawled partially on top of him.

 

_God_ , he thinks, _how did my life become this much of a joke_. He wants to relax, to soak up the moment for all it’s worth, but he knows Lance wouldn’t want that. He knows Lance would rather wake up alone than with him of all people.

 

And besides, Keith slept with his binder on and now his ribs are killing and he’s finding it somewhat hard to breathe so he needs to take it off _now_ or risk permanent damage. Fun.

 

With a sigh, Keith starts to gently shove Lance off him. He’s almost free when Lance groans in his sleep and tightens his arm around Keith, before slowly opening his eyes. Lance blearily takes in the scene, before he freezes, blue eyes going wide.

 

Slowly, Lance detangles himself from Keith and sits up, maintaining eye contact the entire time. It’s kind of awkward and Keith has to try really hard to resist the urge to laugh, but he knows how both Lance and his ribs would protest so he manages to repress it.

 

Lance is silent for another moment until his eyes glance down slightly. “Did you sleep in your binder?” He asks, voice soft and Keith almost crumbles under that look. He would do literally anything for that soft look to never leave his face. Keith nods in response. “Go take it off and get changed or whatever, I’ll make us some breakfast.”

 

With a muttered _thank you_ , Keith walks away. He almost races to his room to relieve the pain now settled on his chest and in the process, runs smack bang into Shiro.

 

“Woah, you okay?” Shiro asks, an arm coming out to rest on Keith’s shoulders. Keith nods again and takes off, ignoring Shiro’s shout after him. He makes it to his room and strips hastily, before grabbing the binder by the base and pulling it off. His chest heaves with the relief as he draws in several deep breaths, but his ribs still twinge with pain. He inspects his chest in the mirror, looking for signs of any permanent damage but thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be any.

 

Keith grabs a hoodie from the back of his chair and throws it on, before leaving to join Lance in the kitchen. Shiro is there too from the sounds of it, they appear to be listening to the radio and – _is that singing?_

 

With a screech, Keith turns the corner hurriedly. Lance looks to be cooking eggs while Shiro is gathering assorted fruits to put in a bowl. Because that’s the kind of people they are apparently; people who actually own and use a fruit bowl.

 

Lance is dancing and singing, swaying along to the beat of whatever pop song is playing and doesn’t seem to have noticed Keith. He looks _hot_ , enough so that Keith stands there staring open mouthed for a few moments while Shiro watches with an amused expression. When Keith notices Shiro’s face, he blushes and frowns angrily while Shiro laughs at him. Thankfully, Lance doesn’t notice the commotion behind him and doesn’t turn around until a few seconds later, by which time Keith has managed to calm his blush down. Lance holds the pan and dishes out some eggs evenly onto three plates.

 

“I would have done bacon too, but you guys literally have nothing in the fridge.” Lance says, picking up a fork and taking a bite.

 

Shiro shrugs. “Yesterday was grocery shopping day but I couldn’t be bothered, and I don’t trust Keith, so I guess we’ll just order takeout for lunch.”

 

“What do you mean you don’t trust me?” Keith makes a noise of indignation and frowns at Shiro who just looks bemused.

 

“Last time I asked you to do some grocery shopping you came back with a single bottle of vodka and some chocolate.” Shiro deadpans.

 

“So?” Keith snaps back. “They are _essentials_.”

 

Any comeback Shiro would make is drowned out by Lance laughing almost hysterically at this. He slaps a hand on the table, “Are you-” _laugh_ “-telling me that you-” _laugh_ “-went for groceries-” _wheeze_ “-and came back with-” _laugh_ “-vodka and chocolate?”

 

It’s at this point that Keith notices that Lance isn’t wearing the same clothes he was last night, instead he’s wearing an old grey hoodie and some sweatpants that are slightly too long on the leg, so they’ve been rolled up around his ankles. Shiro’s old clothes, Keith would presume. Some Shiro probably lent Lance so he wouldn’t have to keep his jeans on while they ate breakfast too.

 

“What’s wrong with that?” Keith asks defensively, turning his attention away from the way the sweatpants make Lance’s legs look twice as long as usual.

 

“God that’s the worst idea of health I’ve ever seen, and I live with _Pidge_! The gremlin eats nothing but ramen and ice cream.” Lance is practically crying by now; his face is flushed red and he wipes at his eyes with the palm of his hands. Shiro laughs along and Keith feels his face blush again.

 

“Tell Hunk to make sure Pidge eats properly. Matt would murder me if I let his sister get malnutrition.” Shiro says when they’ve all calmed down, smiling gently.

 

“I already do, man. She doesn’t listen to any of us. And besides, Matt knows _exactly_ what Pidge is like, the dude has known her since she was born.” Lance laughs. “Imagine being that unlucky.”

 

“Don’t let Pidge hear you say that.” Keith smirks.

 

“Well I don’t care, I already know the fucker took part in whatever bullshit you-” Lance pauses to point his finger in Shiro’s face. “-did last night. Don’t think I’d forgotten that.”

 

“I’m excited to see your reaction mostly.” Shiro says around a mouthful of fruit. “I asked Pidge to video it.”

 

Lance groans dramatically and places his head on his hands, his muffled voice is only barely heard by Keith. “I’m never going home. That’s it, I’m packing a bag and moving back to Cuba. Hasta la later Takashi Shirogane.”

 

Shiro laughs, Keith watches the scene with a soft smile and feels a warmth moving through his insides. _Affection_.

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**knife fetish:** SHIRO WHAT THE FUCK

**knife fetish:** YOU COVERED MY ENTIRE ROOM IN POST IT NOTES

**knife fetish:** how did you even find that many seriously

**knife fetish:** if I wasn’t so annoyed I’d be impressed

**Space Dad™:** sdhjkashdjksad I’m glad it was a success

**Space Dad™:** tbh im not even sorry

**knife fetish:** one day I’ll get my revenge

**knife fetish:** just you wait

**Space Dad™:** I’m waiting

**Space Mom:** so THAT’S what you did

**Space Mom:** you know lance will literally just leave them there forever

**Space Mom:** can your next prank be removing them all PLS

**Pidgeotto:** oh god is the house just going to be covered in post-its

**Pidgeotto:** also srry shiro I forgot to video it I was busy

**knife fetish:** pfft there’s plenty of uses for post-its this is a blessing

**Space Mom:** I forbid you from writing down different surgeries on them and sticking them all over the house

**knife fetish:** hunk do u want me to fail my med degree

**Space Mom:** if it means I don’t have to read about vasectomy’s while im making dinner then I don’t care

**knife fetish:** fine I’ll keep the post-its in my room

**Princess™:** anyway lance how was your night? did you sleep well :)

**knife fetish:** no actually keith is really uncomfy to lie on

**edgelord:** You’re really uncomfy to have on top of me

**Pidgeotto:** keith’s the top established

**knife fetish:** PIDGE JSDHSDGJF WHAT

**edgelord:** Pidge wtf

**Space Dad™:** pidge,,, think about what you’ve just done

**Space Dad™:** and never repeat those words again

**Space Dad™:** in fact anything relating to that context

**knife fetish:** seconded

**

 

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Eagle One:** do u think I made them uncomfortable

**Shiro:** you made me uncomfortable

**Eagle One set their own nickname to _Pidge_**

**Pidge:** srry I just didn’t like being the only one with a codename

**Allura Altea set their own nickname to _Allura_**

**Allura:** if they slept together then that means that they’re both pretty comfortable around each other

**Allura:** maybe this will be easier than first thought

**Hunk:** have you figured out a date for the party yet?

**Allura:** probably the weekend after next

**Allura:** the weekend before pidge’s birthday so either the 27 th or 28th

**Coran Smythe:** I’ll organise the hot tub

**Shiro:** and I’ll spike both of their drinks with vodka to get them completely drunk quicker

**Hunk:** you can deal with drunk keith then jesus christ he’s a nightmare

**Shiro:** deal

 

**

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Allura Altea_ **

**Takashi:** as a surprise birthday present for pidge

**Takashi:** do you want me to invite matt??

**Takashi:** would you be okay with that? since its your house??

**Allura:** yes!!

**Allura:** that’s a great idea!

**Allura:** and I’m eager to meet the infamous matt holt™

**Takashi:** I’ll ask and let you know what he says then!!

 

**

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Matthew Holt_ **

**Takashi:** pidge’s birthday party: 27 th or 28th march, allura’s house, ft hot tub and operation klance

**Takashi:** also you coming is a surprise for pidge so you can’t tell her

**Matthew:** I’m in

**Matthew:** but what’s operation klance??

**Takashi:** oh boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, srry for the long wait for this chapter. depression is kicking my ass atm and i'm worse than i remember being for a long time but writing this chapter made me feel better so i'm gonna try and spit updates out more often!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's still the 25th in my timezone so merry christmas!! consider this my gift to you all<3
> 
> nicknames:  
> Pidgeotto – pidge  
> Princess™ - allura  
> Knife fetish – lance  
> Edgelord – keith  
> Space Dad™ - shiro  
> Space Mom – hunk  
> Corn – coran

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**knife fetish:** how come keith is spelled like keith

**knife fetish:** but beef isn’t spelt like beith

**knife fetish:** why isn’t keith spely like keef

**Pidgeotto set Keith’s nickname to Beith**

**Beith:** why are you all awake at 4:26am

**Beith:** go the fuck to sleep you heathens

**knife fetish:** you can’t make me

**knife fetish:** but seriously though why am I awake

**knife fetish:** least I don’t have a 9am class

**Pidgeotto:** it’s Saturday tomorrow nobody has a 9am class you fuckwit

**knife fetish:** shit ur right

**knife fetish:** pidge if I ordered pizza would you eat any

**Pidgeotto:** as long as there’s no pineapple on it

**knife fetish:** literally fuck off pineapple pizza is so good how can you deprive yourself of that experience

**Beith:** Lance pineapple pizza is a mistake

**knife fetish:** :o am I friends with pineapple pizza haters

**knife fetish:** at least hunk agrees with me

**Space Dad™:** go the fck to sleep p l e a s e

**Space Dad™:** but pineapple on pizza is awful sorry lance

**knife fetish:** ur all wrong

**knife fetish:** but goodnight pidge you lost ur chance for pizza

**Pidgeotto:** top ten disappointments of 2017

 

**Space Mom:** good morning to lance only

**Space Mom:** pineapple on pizza is amazing and I can’t believe you all would slander me like this

**Princess™:** hunk is like gordan ramsey you can’t disagree with his food opinions tbh

**Coran the gorgeous man:** shit you’re right

**Beith:** are you saying I have to like pineapple on pizza because hunk does???

**Beith:** no way

**Beith:** not happening

**Space Mom:** guess who’s officially uninvited from the next dinner party

**Space Mom:** clue: everyone who doesn’t like pineapple on pizza

**Space Dad™:** that will literally be you and lance sat there

**Space Mom:** I don’t see a problem with that

**knife fetish:** me neither

**knife fetish:** hunk do u wanna get pizza tonight???

**Space Mom:** sure!! extra pineapple??

**knife fetish:** you got it

**Coran the gorgeous man:** if I say I like pineapple on pizza can I come

**Space Mom:** would you be lying?

**Coran the gorgeous man:** …maybe

**Space Mom:** then no

**Coran the gorgeous man:** darn it

**knife fetish:** ‘darn it’ corn you sound old

**Coran the gorgeous man:** corn

**Pidgeotto:** C O R N

**Pidgeotto set Coran’s nickname to Corn**

**Knife fetish:** listne up pidge

**Pidgeotto:** sorry I don’t know how to listne up

**knife fetish:** stop mocking my typos

**knife fetish:** this is adhdphobic

**Pidgeotto:** you can’t just say everything i do is discriminatory to you

**knife fetish:** I can if it is :/

**knife fetish:** I just can’t believe that you changed coran coran the gorgeous man

**knife fetish:** it’s iconic

**Pidgeotto:** …..sorry???

**knife fetish:** apologies won’t fix coran’s broken heart pidge you monster

**Pidgeotto:** ok are you two sat somewhere laughing over this

**knife fetish:** dunno about coran but im still in bed

**Corn:** I’m grocery shopping

**knife fetish:** god who even goes grocery shopping

**knife fetish:** I haven’t eaten anything but cereal for WEEKS

**knife fetish:** s/o to that executive dysfunction ahah amirite

**Space Mom:** ok that’s it Lance I’m actually cooking you dinner

**Space Mom:** screw ordering pizza

**knife fetish:** …like actual food with vegetables and shit

**Space Mom:** yes of course

**Space Mom:** prepare to have your mind blown

**Space Mom:** everyone else can come along if you want as well. It’ll be fun!!

**Corn:** I already have plans im afraid

**knife fetish:** god coran coran the gorgeous man sure is popular

**knife fetish:** blowing off his loyal friends for… others

**Corn:** shush lance I’m literally just babysitting again, I need to earn some extra money

**knife fetish:** that evil witch haggar with 3873 cats and ugly screaming children??? And the haunted flat??

**Corn:** yep

**knife fetish:** YIKES I feel sorry for you

**knife fetish:** pray for corn 2017

**Beith:** 1 like = 1 prayer

**Space Dad™:** oh god I used to live next to haggar it was hell

**Space Dad™:** I’ll keep coran in my heart tonight

**Space Dad™:** also hunk was the offer for food tonight serious or not neither me or keith can be bothered to cook

**Space Dad™:** tbh though I’m not even sure keith knows how to

**Space Mom:** yeah of course you guys can all come over it’ll be fun

**Space Mom:** besides someone needs to make sure you all have at least one vegetable a day

**Beith:** without shiro I’d probably just eat chicken and takeaway Chinese

**Space Dad™:** even with me you eat like that

**Space Dad:** the other week you literally ate nothing but poptarts for a full 72 hours

**Beith:** sorry didn’t come here to be shamed for my eating choices

**knife fetish:** were they the good kind of poptarts though

**Beith:** strawberry jam

**knife fetish:** amateur

**knife fetish:** chocolate brownies are the best

**Beith:** what no???? they’re too sickly and taste like cardboard

**knife fetish:** fuck this you are so wrong

**knife fetish:** I want a divorce

**Beith:** we’re not married

**knife fetish:** I literally slept on you that’s pretty married bro

**Pidgeotto:** “I slept with you but no homo”

**knife fetish:** pidge there is a big difference between sleeping on and sleeping with someone

**Pidgeotto:** I know but you wanna sleep with him anyway right??;)

**Princess™:** ADJHAJSHFJSH PIDGE

 

**

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Katie Holt_ **

**Lance:** KATHERINE HOLT

**Lance:** I will murder you

**Katie:** a) don’t call me Katherine or I will eviscerate you

**Katie:** b) you totally wanna bone keith though don’t you

**Lance:** a) noted

**Lance:** b) no

**Katie:** that’s a fat lie and you know it

**Katie:** youureeee in love with keeeeiiiitthhhhhhhh hahaha that’s fuckign gay

**Lance:** I’m not in love with keith sjdhskjhdak pidge please never say those words again

**Katie:** you’re in love with keith?? or that’s fucking gay??

**Lance:** just don’t talk again, ever.

**Lance:** you are a child and im not tolerating this shit from an infant

**Katie:** im 21 in just over a week fuck off lancelottle

**Lance:** oh yeah

**Lance:** still a child until then though

 

**

 

**_Lance McClain created a new group_ **

**_Lance McClain added Keith Kogane, Takashi Shirogane, Hunk Garret, Allura Altea and Coran Smythe_ **

**  
Lance McClain:** ok so…. has anyone bought pidge a birthday present yet

**Takashi Shirogane:** yeah I got her a tiny potted cactus and a lesbian pride flag

**Hunk Garret:** I bought her some wires and spare parts she had been looking for

**Lance McClain:** damn it

**Lance McClain:** I forgot and idk what to buy her

**Keith Kogane:** I haven’t got her anything yet

**Lance McClain:** keith,,, my buddy,,,, my man

**Lance McClain:** wanna go gift shopping for pidge

**Keith Kogane:** like now??

**Lance McClain:** if you’re not busy??

**Keith Kogane:** nah im free

**Lance McClain:** anyone else coming???

**Allura Altea:** nope I’m busy

**Coran Smythe:** me too I’m afraid

**Takashi Shirogane:** well I’ve already got something and can’t be bothered so

**Hunk Garret:** dudeee I’m already preparing tonight’s food

**Hunk Garret:** gonna have to give this a miss sorry

**Lance McClain:** rip everyone ok

**Keith Kogane:** lance should I just bring my motorbike??

**Lance McClain:** heck yes

**Keith Kogane:** okay I’ll pick you up at half past

 

**

 

**_> > Hunk Garret to Lance McClain_ **

**Hunk:** is this a date

**Lance:** hunk??? no??? we’re just friends

**Hunk:** lance you literally told me you want more than that

**Hunk:** make it a date ;)

**Lance:** no.

**Hunk:** I’ll just show him the messages then

**Lance:** I will block you without hesitation

**Hunk:** nah you love me too much

**Lance:** I know but at least let me pretend otherwise

**Lance:** I have a reputation to uphold

**Hunk:** whatever I know it’s just cause you couldn’t cope without me

**Hunk:** just make sure you’re back from your date before dinner ok??

**Lance:** okay but it’s not a date

**Hunk:** sure jan

 

**

 

Keith pulls up his motorbike with a loud screech of tires, a bird sitting in a tree flies away as he parks and dismounts, already typing out a text for Lance.

 

**_Keith Kogane:_ ** _I’m waiting outside_

 

Lance opens it straight away, Keith hopes that is because the other was waiting for Keith and not because he hasn’t yet moved. With Lance’s ADHD, both are very real possibilities. Fortunately, a few seconds later and the apartment door opens. Lance is wearing dark skinny jeans with a white t-shirt, his hair is mussed like he hasn’t had the chance to brush it and, as Lance gets closer, Keith can tell that he’s wearing the slightest bit of concealer underneath his eyes to conceal the bags there, probably after staying up until past 4am.

 

Overall, it’s a good look on him, Keith decides as Lance walks up.

 

Lance waves a greeting and grins as he slides the spare helmet on, fastening it underneath his chin. Keith climbs on the bike and Lance climbs on behind him, then there’s a few seconds where Lance doesn’t move at all.

 

“Aren’t you going to hold on?” Keith asks eventually, concerned for Lance’s safety, despite knowing how uncomfortable this will be for him, having Lance’s arms wrapped around him for the twenty minutes it will take them to get to the mall will be _torturous_.

 

“What? Oh yeah.” Lance says. Keith can’t see his face from this angle, but he’d bet twenty bucks that Lance is blushing right now. Then Lance’s arms are settling around Keith’s waist and they’re close enough where Keith could tilt his head and kiss Lance. But he doesn’t.

 

Instead, he drives off, feeling the wind through his clothes and listening to the sounds of the city pass by them. Keith thinks he can feel Lance’s heartbeat through his clothes, but he might also be imagining it. What he isn’t imagining his that he can feel Lance’s breath on his ear and it is _immensely_ distracting. He shuffles forward slightly, creating some much-needed distance between them, trying not to be disappointed when his back feels cold without the close press of their bodies.

 

The drive is over quicker than expected, the traffic is at a minimum and there’s only a small amount of people parking at the mall. Keith parks in the back corner and Lance mutters complaints in his ear about having to walk but Keith doesn’t care at all. In fact, he might have done it deliberately to annoy the other, but he would never admit it to Lance.

 

Keith pulls off his helmet with a muffled curse word and secures it to the bike, he turns around to grab Lance’s only to find the other staring at him, slightly red faced with wide eyes.

 

“Your hair.” Is all Lance says upon questioning, “It’s tied up.” He talks as if though those three words are supposed to bring immediate enlightenment to Keith, but the other is still left confused.

 

“And?”

 

“I don’t know. It just – uh – looks good on you that’s all, you should tie it up more often.” Lance replies after a few seconds of quiet contemplation. His face seems to flush even darker and Lance glances down at the ground.

 

Did Lance just complement him? Keith is feeling his face flush to match Lance’s, so he mumbles a _thank you_ and occupies himself with securing the other helmet. By the time he’s finished, the blush is mostly under control. He turns around to see Lance on his phone, probably texting Hunk to laugh about Keith blushing awfully bright and being unable to handle complements.

 

“Shall we go then?” He asks.

 

“Hunk wants us back by six.” Lance says. “I don’t see how we could spend six hours in the mall though, so I don’t know why he expects us to be that long.”

 

“He’s probably expecting us to take ages because you always take forever to decide what to buy.” Keith thinks back to their last shopping trip, where Lance took three hours to choose which shirt to buy and groans inwardly.

 

“Hey! I always make sure people will like my gifts, it’s what I do best and I take pride in that. I also have very limited money and I like to make the most of it.” Lance retaliates, looking affronted.

 

**

 

It turns out, much to Keith’s dismay, they can spend six hours in the mall, easily.

 

Within the first hour, Keith has picked out a gift for Pidge; a tiny robotic dog meant to sit on desks and bark occasionally when a button is pressed, it’s cute, looks like Pidge’s family dog and he think’s she’ll like it. Lance still hasn’t decided, alternating between a book and a new game for her Xbox.

 

Within the second hour, Lance has settled on an entirely different game to the one he originally picked up. It’s something about aliens and robots and defending the universe, something Pidge’s nerd orientated brain will _love_. Also, undeniably, something Lance would enjoy playing too, Keith figures the game is as much for him as it is for Pidge, because what else are roommates for if not borrowing video games?

 

In the third hour, they’re buying food. They settle for McDonald’s from the food court and eat it sat in a booth in the furthest corner away from everyone. Long after they finished eating, they sit there talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

 

By the time four o’clock hits, they’re both bored of the mall, “ _There’s only so many times you can walk past gaggles of preteen girls before you get uncomfortable._ ” Lance insists, Keith secretly agrees.

 

“Wait!” Lance shouts after a second. “I’m gonna buy some coloured pens!”

 

That, of course, results in Keith being dragged around stationary shops for the next hour while Lance compares colour selections, prices, and quality of different pens, even adding a few packs of pencils into the mix too.

 

“Why are we doing this again?” Keith asks while Lance pulls him into yet _another_ shop.

 

“This is my teen rebellion, Keith, you’re a part of something great here, be proud of me.” Lance shouts with a look of glee on his face.

 

“Lance, you’re twenty-one. There is no teen rebellion anymore, it’s just rebellion now.” Keith rolls his eyes, but the corner of his mouth still twitches upwards in a smile.

 

“Shush Keith, don’t ruin this for me.” Lance walks off before Keith even has a chance to reply.

 

In the end, Lance chooses a pack of twenty pens, half are thin tipped for writing and the other half are thicker tipped like marker pens. They’re in a whole variety of colour ( _“It’s gay pride see, Keith._ ”) and Lance looks absolutely delighted with his purchase, even if Keith _still_ doesn’t understand the reason why this is such a big deal.

 

It’s just past five o’clock now and the mall is starting to quieten down, there’s less people rushing around in the shops and the cafés are no longer completely overflowing. It’s a mutual decision to stop in a quieter one beside a bookshop, Keith orders a hot chocolate while Lance opts for some complicated coffee.

 

“You’re like a white girl.” Keith remarks as they sit down near the window overlooking the lower floor of the mall.

 

“Explain.” Lance raises an eyebrow, looking unimpressed.

 

“Drinking trashy coffee and posting it on Instagram.” Lance looks down from Keith to his drink resting on the table, and then his phone positioned just above it with the camera app already open.

 

“ _Shit._ ” Lance mutters and quickly puts his phone back in his pocket. “I’m still offended you called me a white girl, even if it was a fairly accurate remark.”

 

“So, you admit you were behaving like a white girl, but you’re still offended over it.” Keith laughs.

 

“I’m glad you understand me.” Lance smirks at him while taking a sip of his drink.

 

“God, what does that even taste like? It just looks like pure sugar and foam.” Keith squints at the drink, as though if he looked hard enough the drink would reveal its taste.

 

“Try it, if you want.” Lance pushes the drink towards him.

 

Keith picks it up slowly, it smells ridiculously sweet for a coffee and Keith has a feeling it will taste awful. He takes a sip and _holy shit_ , it’s like an explosion of flavour on his tongue, the bitterness of the coffee contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the syrup and the soft foam is creamy and adds to the flavour of the drink. Overall, if Keith had to pick a flavour it tasted of the strongest he’d say toffee.  

 

“What the hell is that?” Keith asks, sliding the drink back.

 

“So, you admit I was right? This is the best drink?” Lance grins smugly, Keith suddenly becomes fully aware he’ll have to listen to Lance brag about this all night if he answered yes.

 

“ _Fine_ , okay, yes. This is a good drink.” Keith admits anyway.

 

“A good drink? Or the best drink?”

 

“Well for it to be the best drink, we would need to have tried every other drink this place offers and since we haven’t, we can’t objectively say this is the best drink they offer.” Keith laughs at the look on Lance’s face, a mixture of confusion, happiness, and smugness.

 

“But is it the best drink you’ve tried?” Lance asks again.

 

“Subjectively.” Keith answers after a second.

 

“ _Knew it_.” Lance exclaims in a voice far too loud for an indoor café and a few people turn around to look at them. Lance ignores them and continues talking. “I knew I was the expert in ordering drinks.”

 

“Is that even a competition?” Keith is genuinely perturbed by this, he knew they were ‘rivals’ but he didn’t know it extended this far.

 

“Well it is now. And I won.” Lance replies smugly.

 

Lance picks up his drink again, taking a large sip of it. Keith gets an idea all of a sudden and pulls out his phone, sneakily grabbing a picture of Lance.

 

**

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Beith sent an image**

**Beith:** he takes a fucking sip, babes

**Pidgeotto:** that’s domestic as shit

**Pidgeotto:** and super gay

**Beith:** oh shut up pidge you call everything gay

**Pidgeotto:** that’s because it is

**knife fetish:** keith how did u get that pic without me noticing

**Beith:** I don’t even know

**Beith:** probably because I’m the best at being sneaky

**knife fetish:** that is not true

**Space Dad™:** why are you talking over the group chat you are literally sat across from each other

**knife fetish:** shit your right time to get rekt keith

**

 

“How can you know you’re the best at being sneaky?” Lance objects as soon as Keith’s phone buzzes with his message.

 

“When have you ever been sneaky?” Keith retorts.

 

“Uh, I – I’m sneaky all the time,” Lance defends, “Like the other week when I snuck into the kitchen to make food at 4am.”

 

“That was so not sneaky! Pidge complained about the noise on four separate group chats. Just accept it Lance, you’re not that sneaky.” Keith grins and Lance narrows his eyes.

 

“Okay true, fine, I’ll let you have this one.” Lance relents after less effort than Keith expected. He quickly downs the rest of his drink. “Besides, we should be setting off soon if we don’t want to be late.”

 

Keith swallows the dregs of his hot chocolate, already missing the creamy warmth, and pulls his jacket back on as he stands. Lance follows after and puts down a few dollar bills on the table as a tip, before following Keith out of the café.

 

The walk back to the motorbike is quicker than Lance remembered, he was expecting more of a trek and was fully prepared to complain every step of the way but before he’s even started the motorbike is visible less than fifty meters away. After a couple of minutes walking, they’re there and Keith is passing the spare helmet to Lance who fastens it quickly, taking a moment to mourn the small amount of styling he’d managed to give his hair in the mall.

 

Then, he’s climbing on the back of the motorbike and wrapping his arms around Keith without even being prompted.

 

This time, Keith doesn’t shuffle away from the touch, he welcomes it.

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Space Mom:** ok so food is gonna be ready for 6:30 but you guys can come whenever

**Space Mom:** who is actually coming?

**knife fetish:** me and keith are just about to leave the mall so we’ll be 20 mins roughly

**Space Dad™:** I’m coming

**Princess™:** I’ll come

**Pidgeotto:** hunk I live with you of course ill be there

**Space Mom:** you’re also sat in the lounge right now I never doubted you were gonna be here pidge

**Space Mom:** ok gtg back to cooking but anyone is welcome to turn up just be here before 6:30 if you want food

 

**Space Mom:** shiro it’s 6:30 where r u

**Space Dad™:** traffic! I’ll be there as quick as I can

**Space Dad™:** I hate public transport

**knife fetish:** you literally have a car why are you on a bus

**Space Dad™:** I may have had a beer earlier and I may also be bringing some to drink tonight

**knife fetish:** good choice my dude lets make it a party

**Space Mom:** yeah like anyone could stop over if they wanted? We have spare toiletries and stuff so you don’t have to worry about catching the bus home at like midnight shiro

**Space Mom:** ok we agreed it’s a party and we’re gonna send someone to the shop to buy some more alcohol after we’ve eaten so get your ass here

 

**Space Dad™:** ok I’m here

**Princess™:** about damn time

 

**knife fetish:** for those of you who couldn’t attend (coran), here is a brief summary of what you are missing right now:

**knife fetish:** keith and pidge have drank a total of 4 beers between them and are somehow both really drunk and screaming about being trans, shiro and allura have drunk a lot more and are now nearly crying because they both want pet cats but they both can’t own them for various reasons, hunk and I are watching criminal minds in my room and leaving them to it

**knife fetish:** heres what happened earlier: shiro was 45 minutes late and had to warm up his food in the microwave and he nearly broke it because the plate wasn’t microwave safe, a bottle was smashed and keith laughed until he literally couldn’t breathe bc binder problems

**knife fetish:** oh and hunk has been streaming vine compilations to the tv and laughing as they all stop their individual conversations to quote vines

**knife fetish:** fun times

**Corn:** not to alarm anyone but it’s only 10pm

**knife fetish:** is it really???

**knife fetish:** u know what hunk? screw criminal minds im going to find something strong to drink and join the party

**Space Mom:** u know what lance? me too

 

**Princess™:** sdhhfhkfh pidge just tried to do a shot and laughed in the middle and snorted it out f her nose

**knife fetish:** who the fuck let pidge do a shot

**knife fetish:** a) who wants to deal with a drunk pidge b) she’s 21 next week that’s when she earns the right to do shots

**

**_> > Matthew Holt to Takashi Shirogane_ **

**Matthew:** hey sorry it’s late but I just wanted to say I’ve booked my train tickets for next week

**Takashi:** where the fuck are you going next week? – pidge (I stole shiros phone because he listened to lance and won’t let me do shots and now im bored)

**Matthew:** uhhh nowhere

**Matthew:** to florida for a holiday

**Takashi:** I really feel like you’re lying but shiro deletes his messages and I don’t care that much to hack either of you

**Takashi:** WAIT  matt you’re not dating shiro are you????

**Matthew:** PIDGEJsklhfsdhf no

**Matthew:** now hand shiro his phone back

**Takashi:** ….fine

 

**Takashi:** OHMYGOD matt it’s actually shiro this time

**Takashi:** she asked if we were dating sdhklashdkld

**Takashi:** tbf though at least our secret is safe

**Matthew:** just don’t leave your phone lying around over the next week and a half and it’ll be fine

 

**

 

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Pidge:** uhh not to be That Person but has anyone seen Keith or lance over the past hour

**Pidge:** I love how my phone capitalises Keith but not lance

**Hunk:** I haven’t seen them since like 12

**Pidge:** hmmm interesting

**Allura:** not saying they’re off somewhere making out but….

**Shiro:** damn I hope so I’m sick of the pining

**Hunk:** I mean we are about to play cards against humanity and I want them back for that so

**Coran Smythe:** ask in the group chat? see if either of them answer

**Hunk:** that’s a damn good idea thank you coran

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Space Mom:** hey lance and keith where are you??

**Pidgeotto:** keep it pg guys

**Princess™:** yeah we miss you how are we supposed to play cards against humanity without either of you

**Space Mom:** I mean… we could but it wouldn’t be as fun

 

**Space Mom:** seriously though its 3am now where the hell are you guys?

 

 

**Space Mom:** lanceeeee??? Keeeeeitttthhhh??

 

**Space Mom:** ok now I’m officially worried it’s nearly 5am please let us know you’re okay at least

 

**Space Mom:** Lance? Keith?

 

**Space Mom:** please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so.... where do you think lance and keith are?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we find out where lance and keith went and what exactly happened that night.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol my laptop broke and by broke i mean it blew up so the first draft of this chapter plus a bunch of other wips were deleted and i am still very very bitter but enjoy nearly 5k words of pure fluff

“Where are you going?” Lance shouts over the music and chatter filling the room. He takes a brief moment to pity their neighbours as he glances at the clock and sees the time is just after midnight. His main object of focus, however, is the frowning Keith in front of him.

 

“Outside, I need a bit of fresh air.” Keith shouts back and turns out through the door. Lance takes a minor detour to head back to his room and pick up his jacket and phone before following Keith outside.

 

The air outside their shared apartment is biting cold, feeling more like early January than late March and Lance shivers, pulling his jacket tight around him. He finds Keith sat at the edge of the pavement, staring up at the starry sky in quiet contemplation –  he briefly considers sneaking up behind Keith to scare him, but there’s something about his hunched over posture that makes him seem move vulnerable and Lance hesitates. After a moment of watching Keith, he decides to join him. The cold of the pavement seeps through his jeans and cools the skin underneath and Lance supresses a shiver again.

 

“I was wondering how long you were going to stand there.” Keith half whispers into the night, face still turned towards the sky. The stars are shining brightly but Keith’s eyes are illuminated only by the reflection of the streetlight across the road.

 

Lance digs for an excuse, but decides the truth is better in this case. “I was worried about you.”

 

“Why?” Keith mutters, pulling the sleeves of his hoodie up to cover his hands. Lance thinks it might just be the most adorable thing he’s ever seen, and he’s watched his baby niece Anna playing with his aunt’s new-born kittens.

 

“Because, you know…” Lance pauses, for someone who talks so loudly he’s never been good at expressing his emotions. “You looked upset, and I do care about you, you know. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

 

Keith considers this for a second, then nods, content with Lance’s answer. “It’s too loud in there. Too many people talking at once and it’s making my head hurt.”

 

That is definitely something Lance understands, but he’d thought overstimulation to this degree was something only found in people with ADHD or autism. Then again, he’s not particularly well read on the subject, so he doesn’t bring it up.

 

“But it’s so cold out here.” Lance states, his nose is stinging slightly as the cold wind bites it. “We’re gonna freeze into little Keith and Lance shaped icicles on the ground.”

 

“It’s March. It’s not that cold, Lance.” Keith replies, he sounds almost pissed off, but the frown has faded from his face and Lance finds himself subconsciously smiling to match the faint curve quirking Keith’s lips up.

 

“Do you want to go back yet? Or should we find somewhere warmer? Because according to my phone, it’s currently thirty-five degrees and, as someone from Cuba, it’s definitely too cold.”

 

“Let’s find somewhere warmer.” Keith pushes himself off the pavement, stepping out into the road and extending a hand to help Lance up. Keith’s hand is warm, and his palms are slightly sweaty, and Lance should be grossed out but, at the minute, he never wants to let go of that hand. Their fingers tangle together as Lance stands but as soon as he is stable their hands separate and Lance’s own hand feels colder than it should. He resists the urge to reach after Keith’s hand by placing his hands in his pockets.

 

“Where should we go?” Lance asks, feeling the buzz of alcohol running through his system as he’s overcome with the wild urge to giggle uncontrollably.

 

“McDonalds?” Keith suggests, it’s the only place he can think of that would be open at this time.

 

“McDonalds it is.” Lance grins, “Besides, we can always bring some food back for everyone else if they start to miss us.”

 

Keith laughs, “I think I know the way from here, so let’s walk.”

 

“Yeah, I watched you drink too many beers to feel safe getting on a motorbike with you.” Lance adds. Keith sways slightly as the wind picks up and shivers gently.

 

They set off walking at quite a fast pace, desperate to warm up. After half an hour of light chatter, Lance glances around and realises they’re at the opposite end of town, around ten minutes from Keith’s apartment. The McDonalds, if Lance recalls correctly, is a twenty-minute walk away from their current position. It should only have taken 20 minutes to walk to it from Lance’s apartment, so Keith has almost definitely gone wrong somewhere with his directions, not that Lance is complaining – this just gives him a chance to spend more time with Keith.

 

The remaining walk passes quickly, Lance is almost completely sober by now and he guesses Keith is well on his way to joining him. The other still sways slightly with every step though and giggles occasionally but, on the plus side, drunk Keith is cute and Lance is very much enjoying this.

 

When they reach the McDonalds, Keith orders a cup of coffee ( _“That’s a bad idea.” “Shut up Lance.”_ ) and some fries while Lance orders a chicken nugget share box and a bottle of water. When they sit down, Lance realises Keith ordered two large fries and offers to share his chicken nuggets for one of the fries. Keith agrees, and they split the food evenly between them.

 

If Lance could ignore the darkness outside and the way his hands burn after coming into the warmth from so long in the cold, he could almost pretend they were on a date. He stops that quickly though because he starts to feel guilty.

 

They eat quickly and before long the food is gone, neither of them are eager to travel back out into the cold so they order another hot drink each and settle back down. It’s just after one am and his phone is on fifteen percent battery, if he wants it to survive the night he needs to find a charger as soon as possible. However, the nearest one is at their apartment and as much as Lance wants a fully charged phone, he wants to spend time with Keith more. He pockets the phone and turns his attention back to Keith.

 

“Thank you for coming out after me.” Keith says into his coffee, eyes nervously glancing at Lance. “You didn’t have to leave for me, I would have been fine.”

 

“Yeah.” Lance agrees. “But you weren’t fine then. What kind of friend would I be if I had just left you alone, knowing something was wrong?”

 

“A crap one?” Keith suggests and they both laugh.

 

“And we wonder why everyone seems to think we’re in a relationship.” Lance adds.

 

“What?” Keith asks, brow furrowing in confusion.

 

“You didn’t know? I figured Shiro would have definitely mentioned it to you?” Lance is also confused now, he’s not a gambling man but if he had to place bets on who Shiro had asked first, it would have been Keith. Then again, something about his conversation with Hunk all those weeks ago had definitely seemed suspicious: Lance had just brushed it off as being an awkward conversation for him in particular, but upon learning about Keith’s lack of knowledge about the whole situation Hunk had mentioned, Lance’s suspicious definitely increased.

 

“No? What happened?” Keith is glaring down into his drink now, but he doesn’t sound particularly angry. Lance wonders if Keith knows something he doesn’t.

 

“Hunk sent me a message a few weeks ago asking why I’d not told him we were a couple.” Lance laughs nervously. “Apparently Shiro had told him that we were.”

 

“Really? If anything, Shiro would be the last person to find anything like that out because he’d just tease me relentlessly. He’s brutal like that.” Keith replies, his eyes flicker around the room and Lance realises that the boy in front of him is avoiding eye contact for some reason. He narrows his eyes slightly.

 

“So, you have no idea why they said that?” Lance asks, looking pointedly at Keith to see his reaction.

 

“No.” Keith responds, and Lance believes him, but still thinks there’s something going on there that he should be suspicious of. Clearly Shiro had lied to Hunk, but why? Or had Hunk made that up himself?

 

Lance is startled out of his pondering by Keith speaking again. “Can I see the messages?” He asks.

 

“Sure.” Lance responds, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his messages with Hunk before he can think about why that is a bad idea. In his tired and still slightly tipsy state, he’s forgotten about the confession he’d made, occurring just a few messages after that.

 

He finds the messages after a minute of scrolling and passes his phone over to Keith.

 

Keith’s eyes skim over the messages for a few seconds before he raises an eyebrow, a slight blush covering his cheeks. “You think I’m cute?”

 

Lance freezes, blood rushing to his face. “ _No._ I just – uh – said that to get Hunk off my back. Now give me my phone back.” He lunges across the table to try and snatch it back, but Keith is smaller and therefore faster. He ducks back out of reach of Lance and continues scrolling.

 

With a sickening clarity, Lance remembers exactly what the rest of the messages said, now it’s too late to stop Keith reading them ( _of course_ , because that’s exactly the way his luck works). Now he sits there, wringing his hands nervously as the silence stretches on for far too long. He makes another lunge for his phone, but Keith leans back again and he doesn’t even get close. Lance feels his stomach twists into knots and nausea start to rise in his throat: he’s never been this nervous about anything in his life before and it feels awful.

 

 _He’s going to hate you_ , his brain supplies unhelpfully, _he’ll be disgusted. Keith will never be the same with you again._

 

Minutes pass before Keith even moves, Lance feels every painful second.

 

“Y-you like me?” Keith asks, his eyes are wide and he looks remarkably naive and innocent. Lance’s heart beats faster in his chest as his mouth seems to dry up.

 

Lance decides it’s best to be honest. “Yeah, I do. I have done for a while now.”

 

“How long?” Keith looks down at the table and traces a pattern reflected from the window with his finger. Lance’s eyes follow his movements.

 

“A few months now.” Lance swallows and sips his drink, trying desperately to dispel the nerves.

 

“Really?” Keith looks genuinely surprised. “Have your phone back, by the way I think someone sent you a message, but it just died so I guess you’ll never know who it’s from.”

 

“Thanks.” Lance deadpans. “And yeah, I really have liked you for a few months.”

 

It feels good to be able to say that out loud, like a small weight has lifted from his back. He’s still insanely nervous about the outcome of this but no matter what happens, he’ll still have Hunk and Pidge and Allura and Coran and everyone else who’s willing to support him.

 

“Good.” Keith mutters, there’s a faint blush decorating his cheeks. “I read all that cheesy stuff you wrote about wanting to know everything about me and cook me breakfast and sleep next to me. It sounded like some teenage romance poetry.”

 

Lance flushes a deep red and places his head in his hands. “God, I know.”

 

“If it makes you feel any better, I want to kiss you too.” Keith says and Lance’s heart stops. Actually, honest–to–God, genuinely, stops beating. He’s gone into cardiac arrest and died, or some other bullshit like that. Because there is _no way_ that Keith is sat across from him and admitting that he likes him back. _No way_. Lance had died and is in heaven, it’s the only logical explanation.

 

“You – uh – want to, _what_?” Lance asks, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. His heart hasn’t stopped at all because now it’s beating far too fast. Surely Keith must be able to hear that pounding from inside his chest. _Surely_.

 

“I want to take you out and kiss you goodbye, I want to wake up beside you in the mornings. I want to know every single thing about you, Lance McClain. I want _you_.” Keith is smiling now, a genuine, happy one that makes Lance’s stomach do somersaults like a gymnast. Lance finds that he is grinning to match it.

 

In hindsight, he isn’t sure which one of them moved first, but suddenly they’re stood up beside their table and Keith is leaning forward to press his lips against Lance’s. It’s at this moment that Lance’s brain short-circuits, and he forgets every single thing he knows about kissing.

 

It’s only when Keith’s lips move that Lance’s brain reconnects with his body, and _holy shit_ , is he thankful when it does. Keith’s lips are soft, and he can taste coffee and something slightly salty when Keith opens his mouth slightly. Lance takes this opportunity to lick into Keith’s mouth at the same time as Keith’s hands come to rest on his waist. He’s in heaven, his earlier hypothesis about his poorly timed death might actually be accurate.

 

The kiss doesn’t last long however, as someone coughs loudly next to them. They break apart, flushed and breathing heavily, only to see a mildly irritated McDonalds worker glaring at them because, _oh yeah,_ they’re still in public. And it might be two am but apparently McDonalds has rules against kissing your new boyfriend in there.

 

Wait – _boyfriend_? Lance realises suddenly that he still doesn’t know where they stand, are they dating now? He voices his question to Keith who glares at him.

 

“ _Of course,_ we are boyfriends. As if I’d let you get away after that kiss.” Keith laughs, his lips look slightly pink and Lance has to push down the urge to kiss him again. “Just, can we not tell anyone yet? I don’t know if I could cope with their teasing.”

 

Lance nods. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. At least while we’re still figuring things out, I love our friends but they’re too nosy for their own good.”

 

“Okay.” Keith smiles slightly. “Now let’s get out of here, I distinctly remember reading about how much you wanted to run your hands through my hair – which is totally _not_ a mullet by the way. Oh, and I can’t forget the part where you called it ‘endearing’.”

 

“Hey!” Lance protests, “You are so not allowed to use that against me!”

 

Keith stands up and offers his hand, Lance takes it and lets Keith pull him up.

 

“My apartment is closer, and quieter, so we’ll go there.” Keith drags Lance out, their hands still joined together.

 

“Does your phone have any charge? I want to text Hunk and tell him that we’ve left because otherwise he’ll get really worried.” Lance asks, pulling his dead phone out of his pocket and waving it around.

 

“Yeah, I got you.” Keith unlocks his phone and passes it over to Lance, just in time for the screen to fade to black. “Uh, okay. I don’t got you.”

 

Lance laughs, tightens his grip on Keith’s hand. “It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”

 

“It will.” Keith agrees, and together, they began walking back towards Keith’s apartment.

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Space Mom:**  hey lance and keith where are you??

 **Pidgeotto:**  keep it pg guys

 **Princess™:** yeah we miss you how are we supposed to play cards against humanity without either of you

 **Space Mom:**  I mean… we could but it wouldn’t be as fun

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Space Mom:** seriously though it’s 3am now where the hell are you guys

 

**

 

It’s nearly 4am when they get back, thanks to Keith’s impromptu idea of stopping in the park to look at the stars. Which, luckily for Lance, had quickly developed into a make out session in the middle of the park. There’s grass stains all over Lance’s jacket, _whatever,_ he’d thought, _it’ll wash_.

 

They’re both beyond tired when they reach Keith’s apartment, Keith hands Lance a change of clothes and ushers him into the bathroom to get changed. There’s nothing extravagant, just a clean t-shirt and some pyjama pants, however due to Keith being a tiny bit shorter than Lance, the clothes are just a little bit too small. The t-shirt clings to his chest, highlighting the lack of muscle present there. Lance feels almost self-conscious but Keith’s blush and appreciative once-over when he re-enters Keith’s bedroom make it all worthwhile.

 

Keith has changed quicker than him, shoving on a jumper and some boxer shorts. They both stand there awkwardly for a second until Lance pulls the covers back on the bed and slides in, gesturing Keith over. It’s only slightly bigger than a regular single bed so fitting both of them in there takes quite a bit of effort but eventually they get settled with Keith resting his head on Lance’s chest and their legs comfortably intertwined.

 

“Did you take your binder off?” Lance whispers, pausing his stroking of Keith’s hair.

 

“Yeah.” Keith whispers back, his fingers tracing little patters on an exposed patch of skin near Lance’s hip, sending sparks exploding through Lance’s body.

 

It’s peaceful and calm, something Lance hasn’t truly felt for a long, long time. He falls asleep easily.

 

**

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

****

**Space Mom:**  lanceeeee??? Keeeeeitttthhhh??

****

**Space Mom:**  ok now I’m officially worried it’s nearly 5am please let us know you’re okay at least

 

 **Space Mom:**  Lance? Keith?

 

 **Space Mom:**  please

 

**

 

Lance wakes to the incessant buzzing of his phone, he reaches up to try and turn it off, but his bedside table is missing. Either that or he’s not in his own bedroom. There’s also an uncomfortably heavy weight on his chest, pinning him down.

 

He looks down and sees a mop of messy black hair, there’s a wet patch on his t-shirt where whoever it is has been drooling and Lance takes a second to be disgusted before the memories of the night before came rushing back.

 

 _Oh._ That’s Keith sleeping on his chest. _His boyfriend_. A huge smile graces his face as butterflies erupt in his stomach, the sleeping beauty himself snuggles closer into Lance as if reading Lance’s own thoughts.

 

It’s at this moment that his phone rings again and Lance knows he can’t ignore it anymore, not without waking Keith up. He begins the task of removing himself from Keith’s grip, which is still remarkably strong even while he is asleep.

 

Lance finally frees himself just as his phone stops ringing, he finds it on Keith’s drawers plugged in to the wall. He presses the home button, the first thing he notices is the time: it’s just after eleven am.

 

The second thing he notices is the intense amounts of missed calls and texts.

 

_Hunk Garret: 11 missed calls, 2 unopened messages_

_Katie Holt: 3 missed calls, 4 unopened messages_

_Takashi Shirogane: 2 missed calls_

_Allura Altea: 5 missed calls, 1 unopened message_

He groans, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Just in time, his phone rings again. This time, it’s Pidge calling. Reluctantly and with a deep sigh, Lance accepts the call.

 

“Good morning, Pidge, how are you on this fine day?” Lance says, then winces at how forced that felt. Pidge is definitely going to grill him for answers about where he’s been and why he didn’t answer for so long. Keith stirs behind him and Lance stands up, moving out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

 

“ _Lance! Where the hell have you been?_ ” Pidge demands, he can feel her anger through the phone.

 

“We left the party to go to McDonalds last night, then couldn’t be bothered walking back to ours so we went to Keith’s instead.”

 

“ _Mmmm-hhmmmm._ ” Pidge hums, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. “ _And why, my dear friend, did you think it was okay to leave without telling anyone and then proceed to ignore us all for nearly twelve hours?_ ”

 

The mobile phone makes her voice crackly and Lance is glad because an angry Pidge is never a good thing and the phone acts as a buffer, saving Lance from the true intensity of her frustration. “My phone died. And Keith’s.”

 

“ _And you couldn’t find a charger for twelve hours?_ ” Someone laughs in the background and Lance realises with a spike of anxiety that he’s on speaker.

 

“We fell asleep.” He responds, frowning at the microwave like it has personally offended him.

 

“ _Is that a euphemism?_ ” Someone asks, their voice too distorted for Lance to work out who it was.

 

“No, it’s not a euphemism. We went to McDonalds came back here and fell asleep, I even slept on the couch. That’s it.” He lies effortlessly. He feels slightly guilty for lying to them, but it can’t be helped. It’s what they deserve for demanding to know every detail of his life.

 

Sometime during the phone call, Keith had woken up and followed Lance into the kitchen. His arms wrap around Lance’s waist and his head nuzzles into Lance’s neck. If this is what dating Keith is going to be like, Lance will never complain about anything ever again.

 

“ _Okay._ ” Pidge says. “ _Do you know what time you’ll be back?_ ”

 

That’s the good thing about Pidge, she won’t press him for answers in front of other people. There’s no doubt in Lance’s mind that she knows he was lying but she decided to drop it to save him public embarrassment and what would probably be a really premature ending to his new relationship if he blabbed their secret to everyone. She’s a good friend really, deep down.

 

“Sometime this afternoon, probably.” Lance replies, Keith kisses his neck softly and Lance feels a blush rising on his face.

 

“ _Alright, at least you’re safe._ ” She says, hanging up a few moments later, no doubt to share her suspicious with everyone else who’s still there.

 

Lance places his phone down and tilts his head slightly, so he can see Keith’s face. The person in question just kisses his neck again. “You know, that’s really rude. Especially when I’m lying to everyone about what exactly we got up to last night.”

 

“You didn’t have to lie.” Keith attaches his lips to Lances neck again, sucking slightly. Enough to make Lance’s knees weak but not enough to leave a mark.

 

“Well, saying we spent time making out in a park would lead to a lot of awkward questions I’m sure neither of us particularly wants to answer this early in the morning.” Lance leans back slightly into Keith’s arms.

 

Keith hums softly. “It is eleven-thirty, not really early anymore and barely morning.”

 

Lance waves his hand and steps forwards away from Keith and his wonderful lips. “Potato, _potato_ :  It’s all subjective. Besides, I’m fairly certain I promised you breakfast.”

 

Keith grins. “You didn’t promise it, more like told Hunk you wanted to make breakfast for me, then showed me the messages.”

 

“That was the worst mistake I have ever made, you’re never gonna let that go, are you?” Lance swallows, grabbing the ingredients he needs from the fridge and spreading them out on the side.

 

“Nope.” Keith says, popping the ‘p’. “Besides, something good came of it.”

 

Lance doesn’t reply until he’s cracked the eggs in the pan and started to cook them, at which point he steps forward and kisses Keith softly, before pulling away again. “Yeah, it sure did.”

 

Their lips connect again, more passionately this time. Keith’s tongue dances around Lance’s mouth as he pushes Lance back against the counter. Lance spins them around, lifting Keith up so he’s sat on the worktop, giving the older boy a slight height advantage. Keith groans into the kiss as Lance nibbles gently on his lower lip and Lance feels the blood rushing south at the sound of that noise. No matter what happens, he is determined to hear that noise from Keith again.

 

Keith’s hands are roaming across Lance’s back, until they reach the bottom of his borrowed t-shirt and suddenly it’s being pushed up and Keith’s hands are touching his bare skin and _wow_ Lance honestly feels like he is on fire. He breaks the kiss and Keith looks him in the eyes while they both catch their breath; Keith’s eyes are slightly darker than usual, and his face is flushed with heat. Lance’s eyes trace down Keith’s neck and he kisses down there, until he reaches a spot that causes Keith to throw his head back and gasp loudly. There, he sucks and bites down, leaving Keith a whimpering mess until the other pushes him off gently.

 

“What happened to keeping it secret? It’s hard to do that if you leave a freaking hickey on my neck?” His lips are swollen and red. Lance glances back down to the spot where he had been sucking and finds a faint mark present and laughs guiltily.

 

“Guess you better get good at concealer then, lover boy.” Lance smirks and kisses the mark again softly.

 

Keith leans down, probably to return the favour, but he’s interrupted by an alarm blaring.

 

“ _Fuck._ ” Lance curses as he watches the smoke rising form the pan, the breakfast he’d promised to cook Keith is now black and crispy. He turns the cooker off as Keith fans the smoke away through an open window.

 

“Hey, at least your prediction came true: you _did_ burn our beautiful breakfast.” Keith laughs.

 

Lance groans. “Hey, that was so your fault. You are so distracting.”

 

Keith just grins at him in response.

 

It takes twenty minutes for the smoke to clear out of the room, and even longer for them to decide what to eat. Lance wanted to cook something, while Keith was cautious of his cooking skills and would have preferred something easier to make.

 

Eventually, they settle on poptarts and Lance toasts them and carries the two plates over to the living room where Keith is sat. There they watch some crappy reality tv programme and chat lightly about random things while they eat.

 

Lance doesn’t remember feeling this ecstatic for a long time and it shows in the grin etched onto his face.

 

All too soon, they hear the rattle of Shiro’s keys as they open the door to the flat. With a sad look, Lance shuffles away from Keith and leans back into the couch, Keith does the same at the other side.

 

“Just guys being pals.” Lance whispers, mock seriously, and Keith bursts out laughing just as Shiro walks in.

 

“Oh, hey Lance, I didn’t know you were here?” Shiro says in greeting, his face too blank to be unintentional. He nods at Keith who has a mouth full of poptart and can only manage a grunt in Shiro’s direction.

 

“Yeah you did, I already know Pidge had me on speaker earlier.” Lance says, rolling his eyes.

 

Shiro at least has the decency to look semi-guilty. “Sorry?” He offers, clearly unsure how to respond. “Why does it smell of smoke?”

 

Lance smiles softly, settling back into the couch. “I’m a chaotic pansexual, what can I say.”

 

Keith snorts softly to his right.

 

**

**_> > Lance McClain to Keith Kogane_ **

**Lance:** okay I just realised something

 **Lance:** that fuckin dumb night where me hunk and allura went out to the club and a load of fuckshit happened and the two of them accidentally outed me and told me I fucked someone over

 **Lance:** I’ve been stewing over that for weeks but I think I figured it out

 **Lance:** it was you I supposedly screwed over wasn’t it?

 **Lance:** listen if it was you: I’m sorry that I hurt you but honestly how was I supposed to know you liked me back?

 **Keith:** akddfhjhf why are you thinking of that now??

 **Lance:** I’m bored on my walk home

 **Keith:** but yeah it was me but I wasn’t awake when they sent those messages so it was entirely them

 **Keith:** it’s okay, I’m over it now

 **Keith:** especially since you know… you’re my boyfriend now

 **Lance:** aww keithers you big sap

 **Keith:** I take it back, I officially hate you

 

**

 

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Pidge:** OKAY something deffo happened last night lance hasn’t stopped smiling since he got home two hours ago

 **Allura:** well those dumbass gays did go missing for twelve hours….

 **Allura:** a lot can happen in that time

 **Shiro:** they were just chilling then I got home

 **Shiro:** eating poptarts and watching tv

 **Pidge:** that sounds suspicious

 **Hunk:** I’m gonna ask….. I’m gonna take one for the team…

 **Pidge:** we’ll pray for you hunk

 

**

**_> > Hunk Garrett to Lance McClain_ **

**Hunk:** Lance what really happened last night

 **Hunk:** bro dude pal you know you can trust me with anything right buddy??

 **Lance:** literally nothing happened last night

 **Lance:** im just so happy that I got to spend time with keiht??

 **Lance:** i’m a hot gay mess!

 **Hunk:** o worm

 **Hunk:** so really nothing happened??

 **Lance:** noo you’d be the first person to know if it had  <3

 **Hunk:** than k you  <3

 

**

 

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Hunk sent an image**

**Hunk:** top ten biggest disappointments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i might write a one-shot of keith and lance looking at the stars and making out if people are interested?? just leave a comment saying if you are??


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about my three month hiatus eeek exams and college kicked my ass but now m back on my klance bullshit.. theres one (1) line of spanish in this chapter and i used google for it because i do not speak spanish but if it is incorrect please let me know and offer corrections!!
> 
> Nicknames:  
> Pidgeotto – pidge  
> Princess™ - allura  
> Knife fetish – lance  
> Beith – keith  
> Space Dad™ - shiro  
> Space Mom – hunk  
> Corn – coran

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Space Mom:** good morning

 **Space Mom:** how are my children on this fine day

 **Space Dad™:** I think you mean OUR children

 **Space Mom:** uhh nope,, I raised them into the young adults they are today excuse me

 **Space Dad™:** b-but

 **Space Dad™:** we’re both space parents

 **Space Mom:** I’m attempting to get full custody

 **Space Mom:** taking you to court and everything

 **Pidgeotto:** …are you guys okay

 **Space Mom:** yes

 **Space Dad™:** no I just found out I’m having my own children taken away from me pidge how do u think I feel

 **Pidgeotto:** dksdfkj okay I guess

 **Space Dad™:** nah im just bored

 **Space Mom:** me too

 **Princess™:** guess what though

 **Princess™:** it’s only a week until Pidge’s birthday

 **knife fetish:** true, then pidge can come out drinking with us legally instead of her just sneaking into the clubs

 **knife fetish:** we all need to be ready for some absolute fuckshit to go down

 **Space Mom:** gosh darn, I’m truly excited to see our small baby pidgey-pie growing up

 **Pidgeotto:** shut the fuck up hunk or I will actually murder you in your sleep

 **Pidgeotto:** for reals though I can’t wait

 **Pidgeotto:** it’s a shame I won’t see matt but w/e he’ll just have to make it up to me later

 **knife fetish:** I’ve heard so much shit abt matt

 **knife fetish:** didn’t he once try and make hot chocolate by putting solid chocolate and marshmellows in a cup and microwaving it???? or was that you?????

 **Pidgeotto:** YES only the cup wasn’t microwave safe and the microwave broke and our parents were so angry

 **Space Dad™:** once matt literally set fire to all his college notes for a shit class then realised he needed them the next day

 **Space Dad™:** he’s like the biggest nerd but also the biggest dumbass ever

 **Beith:** oh mood??

 **Space Dad™:** once he poured three expressos and half a can of redbull into a portable coffee cup and downed it just before his physics final as a substitute for sleep

 **Space Dad™:** and you wonder why pidge turned out like …. That

 **Beith:** BIGGER MOOD

 **Pidgeotto:** shiro I’d shut up rn if I were you cause matt has told me some preettttty juicy things about you

 **Space Dad™:** oh god

 **Beith:** spill them pidge

 **Beith:** I need more material to use against shiro

 **Pidgeotto:** for a small price of just $1000 you can know the truth

 **Beith:** I can offer you 25 cents and a piece of gum

 **Pidgeotto:** I’ll take it

 

******

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Keith Kogane_ **

**Takashi:** keith if you take that offer I’ll lock you out until tomorrow

 **Keith:** no problem, I’d just stay at pidge’s

 **Takashi:** damn it

 **Takashi:** respect ur elders

 **Keith:** sorry no can do

 **Keith:** actually I’m too lazy to move,, I’ll just get pidge to tell me at a later date

 **Takashi:** if you don’t go to pidge I’ll tell you something important (and also a surprise) about next week

 **Keith:** …I’m listening

 **Takashi:** do we have a deal?

 **Keith:** depends what the surprise is

 **Takashi:** matt’s going to pidge’s party next week!!

 **Takashi:** so far only us and allura know though so don’t tell anyone

 **Keith:** you know what that means? I can ask matt himself for blackmail material

 **Takashi:** I truly have a demon for a younger brother

 **Takashi:** blocked and reported

 

******

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Matt Holt_ **

**Takashi:** if keith asks you for blackmail material against me please tell him to fuck off

 **Matt:** shiro,, that’s SO rude I would never treat my friends little bro like that

 **Matt:** I’d tell him everything in gory detail just to watch you squirm

 **Takashi:** im uninviting you from the party

 **Matt:** too late, I’m too invested in operation klance to miss out on that

 **Takashi:** You’re not even in the group chat???

 **Matt:** I am in my heart [wipes tear]

 **Takashi:** for fucks sake

 **Matt:** can’t wait until pidge knows I’m going so I can be added

 **Takashi:** I’ll add you as soon as you’ve been reunited

 **Takashi:** might even add you into the main chat … so you can ~bond~ with everyone

 **Matt:** DO IT

 **Takashi:** ok just let me ask first

 

******

 

**_> > Defenders of the universe_ **

**Space Dad™:** does anyone care if I add matt?

 **Pidgeotto:** YES

 **Pidgeotto:** DO IT

 **knife fetish:** go for it

 **Space Mom:** idrc

 **Corn:** I don’t know matt but he seems cool so

 **Space Dad™:** ok here we go

 **Space Dad™:** prepare for trouble

**_Space Dad™ added Matt Holt_ **

**Matt Holt:** and make it double

 **Pidgeotto:** matt

 **Pidgeotto:** I just had an idea for your nickname

**Pidgeotto set Matt’s nickname to _the worst sibling_**

**Pidgeotto set her own nickname to _the best sibling_**

**the worst sibling:** katie you betrayed me

 **the best sibling:** it’s true though you can’t deny it

 **Space Dad™:** I feel like this was a bad idea

 **Space Dad™:** I’m having…. regrets

 **the worst sibling:** [judges you in Spanish]

 **the best sibling:** MATT YOU DON’T SPEAK SPANISH

 **knife fetish:** I heard spanish, you called?

 **knife fetish:** [te juzga en Español]

 **knife fetish:** all I need now is the image

 **knife fetish:** or an image of me judging someone in Spanish

**the best sibling set Lance’s nickname to _judges you in Spanish_**

**judges you in Spanish:** i’ve evolved

 **judges you in Spanish:** is this my final form

 **judges you in Spanish:** I sure hope not

 **Beith:** pidge… did you make him more powerful

 **judges you in Spanish:** I evolved, but at what cost?

 **judges you in Spanish:** [cries in Spanish]

 **judges you in Spanish:** also thank you matt for reintroducing me to this meme I’d forgotten about it

 **the worst sibling:** you’re welcome

 **Space Mom:** anyone else feel like the group chat has been through a bit of a rollercoaster this morning

 **Princess™:** I think we’re all sleep deprived

 **Princess™:** well I am at least

 **Princess™:** my shift this morning started at 7

 **Corn:** that’s why you shouldn’t work in retail kids

 **the worst sibling:** allura where do you work??

 **Princess™:** sephora

 **the worst sibling:** ok yeah working there must suck

 **Princess™:** yeah it sure does

 **Princess™:** once a woman came in and demanded I take her half-used foundation back and replace it for free?? when I said no (obviously) she had a tantrum and started screaming at me and wouldn’t shut up until the manager came over and repeated exactly what I had said

 **judges you in Spanish:** I would die if I worked in retail

 **Beith:** me too tbh

 **the worst sibling:** I would do it though just for the money

 **the best sibling:** relatable

 **Beith:** we’re all broke college students of course this is relatable

 

******

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Keith Kogane_ **

**Takashi:** keith who are you talking to??

 **Keith:** uhh no one??

 **Keith:** you must be hearing things

 **Takashi:** mmm ok sure

 

******

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Keith Kogane_ **

**Lance:** yo keith dude why did u hang up

 **Lance:** we were almost at three hours of facetime

 **Keith:** thts pretty gay ://

 **Keith:** I hung up because shiro came in and I panicked

 **Lance:** well call me back when you can thnks

 

******

 

_Keith Kogane & Lance McClain: facetime ended (05:06:34)_

******

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**Space Mom:** lance who have you been talking to all day like have you got someone in your room or what

 **Space Mom:** I would have come in and asked but I don’t wanna move and it’s not my fault our apartment has really thin walls

 **judges you in Spanish:** no one aha

 **judges you in Spanish:** hunk you must be hearing things

 **Space Mom:** yeah im hearing you chatting to someone

 **judges you in Spanish:** i’m watching stuff on netflix but i’m 100% not talking to anyone

 **Space Mom:** hmm…. sure….

 **judges you in Spanish:** honestly. the panphobia here. am I not allowed to exist in peace

 **Space Mom:** no I believe you… don’t worry………

 

******

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Keith Kogane_ **

**Takashi:** is the mysterious person you’ve been talking to today related at all to the mysterious person lance has apparently been talking to all day

 **Keith:** no

 **Takashi:** are you sure?

 **Keith:** yes

 **Takashi:** ok I know you’re lying and it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me anything yet but I just want you to be happy and something changed recently which made you seem a lot happier and I hope whatever it is works out for you

 **Takashi:** I’m guessing that it’s to do with lance so if anyone asks me anything about what’s going on I’ll cover for you two and pretend I know nothing at all so don’t worry

 **Keith:** thank you, shiro  <3

 **Takashi:** np, little bro  <3

 

******

 

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Pidge:** lance was almost definitely talking to someone

 **Pidge:** I can literally hear him too hunk

 **Pidge:** I can still hear him laughing,,.

 **Hunk:** Pidge go listen to what he’s saying

 **Hunk:** try and see who he’s talking to

 **Hunk:** we gotta InvestiGAY this

 **Pidge:** no im busy, you go!

 **Hunk:** okay FINE

 **Shiro:** just me who thinks that’s a bad idea

 **Allura:** probably

 **Pidge:** oooohkay

 **Hunk:** so I didn’t hear who he was talking to

 **Hunk:** he hung up just as I was in a Good Listening Spot

 **Hunk:** but when he hung up he said “I love you too”

 **Allura:** what does this mean

 **Shiro:** well he’s not talking to keith because I think I’d be able to hear it

 **Shiro:** could be talking to family??

 **Hunk:** I doubt it

 **Pidge:** oh my god what if lance is in a secret relationship

 **Coran:** poor keith

 **Allura:** we can’t tell keith, right? We’re not even supposed to know

 **Pidge:** but he’s literally pining so much we can’t /not/ tell him either

 **Pidge:** this is bad this is so bad

 **Hunk:** I feel so guilty

 **Pidge:** lets not tell keith until we know exactly what’s going on

 **Allura:** okay good idea

 **Shiro:** anyone else wanna pretend the last hour hasn’t happened or am I on my own

 **Hunk:** no I’m with you 100%

 **Hunk:** if lance is in a secret relationship then im a lil upset he didn’t tell any of us

 **Hunk:** I mean not really I’m sure he’s got his reasons

 **Pidge:** unless

 **Pidge:** you don’t think he’s still seeing that guy from the club do you?? The one that kickstarted the whole fallout between lance and allura

 **Allura:** oh my god

 **Pidge:** that would explain why he didn’t tell us though because of everything that happened

 **Hunk:** I feel like we’ve meddled in something we shouldn’t have and now im going back to bed. Goodnight

 **Pidge:** hunk it’s 1pm

 **Hunk:** and I’m tired

 **Pidge:** ….fair point

 **Pidge:** goodnight

 

******

**_> > Lance McClain to Keith Kogane_ **

**Keith:** you love me???

 **Lance:** what??

 **Keith:** when you hung up you said “I love you”???

 **Lance:** oh my god I didn’t mean to?? it just slipped out?? sorry if it made you uncomfortable or anything

 **Keith:** but do you? love me?

 **Lance:** yeah I think so

 **Keith:** shit

 **Keith:** I think I love you too

 **Lance:** oh my god

 **Lance:** I guess this is a really bad time to say that im like 90% certain hunk was listening through the door to me hanging up the phone then asjdhajk

 **Keith:** oh fuck he’s gonna go insane trying to figure out who you were talking to

 **Lance:** next gc drama: who is lance’s secret boyfriend

 **Keith:** bold of you to assume his first reaction would be to go and tell everyone

 **Lance:** bold of you to assume his first reaction _wouldn’t_ be to tell everyone

 **Keith:** ….fair point

 **Keith:** we probably should tell everyone though

 **Lance:** …,, I know

 **Keith:** im just scared to how they’ll react… i know its dumb and they’re our friends but also im terrified

 **Lance:** I know

 **Lance:** me too

 

******

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**the best sibling:** ok so what is actually happening for my birthday

 **the best sibling:** the party is happening this Saturday and I still don’t know what’s actually gonna happen

 **judges you in Spanish:** I have no idea tbh I was just gonna rock up at allura’s sometime this week and not leave until the party ended

 **Princess™:** yeah you absolutely would not be doing that

 **Princess™:** but pidge it’s your birthday shouldn’t you be planning this yourself sdjkshdkjashd

 **the best sibling:** maybe but consider this: I don’t want to

 **the best sibling:** allura you have my full permission to plan the party of your dreams

 **the best sibling:** my only condition is there must be lots of alcohol

 **Princess™:** ok

 **Princess™:** how about everyone arrives at mine for roughly 7, we order food (whatever you want pidge), eat and /then/ start drinking

 **Space Dad™:** that’s a good idea…. I don’t want certain people getting sick because they didn’t eat enough before drinkin

 **Beith:** just @ me next time shiro

 **Beith:** also @ allura didn’t you mention something about a hot tub

 **Princess™:** yeah

 **Princess™:** bring some hot tub appropriate clothes

 **judges you in Spanish:** oh so my neon pink mankini and nothing else

 **the best sibling:** lance is officially uninvited

 **Space Dad™:** do you actually own one of those

 **judges you in Spanish:** yes

 **Beith:** have you ever worn it

 **judges you in Spanish:** let me explain

 **judges you in Spanish:** it was a joke present my sister veronica bought me when she went to LA last summer

 **the best sibling:** that doesn’t answer whether or not you’ve worn it

 **judges you in Spanish:** well

 **Space Mom:** nope I need to know when/where you wore that

 **judges you in Spanish:** ok so I have never worn it in public I need to specify that

 **judges you in Spanish:** but I may have worn it back at varadero beach after luis bet me two dollars that I wouldn’t dare swim in it

 **the best sibling:** oh my godshjadhas

 **the worst sibling:** is there photo evidence

 **judges you in Spanish:** why the FUCK would you want that

 **the worst sibling:** blackmail material

 **judges you in Spanish:** fjdhfjhshfj I barely even know you

 **the worst sibling:** always pays to be prepared

 **the best sibling:** because what are we? animals?

 **Corn:** i mean yes, technically

 **judges you in Spanish:** none of you are ever coming to cuba you and my siblings would get on far too well

 **Princess™:** that’s valid and completely understandable

 **Princess™:** but I already have veronica and marco on facebook

 **judges you in Spanish:** you WHAT

 **the best sibling:** hey lets add lance’s siblings to the group chat

 **judges you in Spanish:** absolutely not

 **Beith:** im gonna add your mom on facebook and ask her to send me all the baby pictures of you

 **judges you in Spanish:** my mom doesn’t have facebook, checkmate atheists

 **Beith:** oh reallllly then who’s this

**Beith sent an image**

**judges you in Spanish:** WHA THE FUCKFJKSDJFKHSJHJADHH

 **judges you in Spanish:** HOW DID YOU

 **judges you in Spanish:** KEITH WHATVTHE FUCKJJFK

 **Beith:** I just searched your facebook friends ahdjshdjdh

 **judges you in Spanish:** im deleting facebook brb

 **Space Dad™:** KEITH WHAT THE FUCK

 **the best sibling:** brb guys adding lance’s mom !

 **judges you in Spanish:** brb guys just jumping off a cliff !

 **the best sibling:** tbh I know so many details about your lives including stuff about your parents and everything

 **Space Dad™:** including mine?

 **the best sibling:** e v e r y o n e s

 **Beith:** including mine

 **the best sibling:** I mean I’ve got shiro’s details and his parents details but your actual biological parents? nothing

 **judges you in Spanish:** that’s so creepy and definitely not valid

 **the best sibling:** hopefully I never need to use them

 **Princess™:** what would you use them for anyway

 **the best sibling:** :)

 **Space Mom:** there’s something deeply unsettling happening in this friend group today and I don’t like it

 **Space Dad™:** I think it’s time we all logged out and just. slept some more. doesn’t that sound nice? Just sleep some more and shut up please

 **the worst sibling:** shiro snapped skdmkdfjknc

 

******

 

**_> > Matt Holt to Takashi Shirogane_ **

**Matt:** shiro

 **Matt:** are there any updates on Operation Klance

 **Matt:** I feel left out

 **Shiro:** dasjdsjsjdoaskd

 **Shiro:** there’s something messy brewing and I am caught in the middle

 **Matt:** oh my god what is it???

 **Shiro:** i absolutely cannot tell you

 **Matt:** there’s nothing stopping you

 **Shiro:** I mean keith would probably kill me

 **Matt:** he’s like a foot shorter than you just stand on him

 **Shiro:** solid advice

 **Shiro:** okay I will tell you on ONE condition

 **Shiro:** you promise to repeat what I have told you to absolutely nobody. not even pidge.

 **Matt:** hhh fine

 **Shiro:** okay so… keith hasn’t told me anything yet but he hasn’t denied anything either.. basically, I think something happened between keith and lance and because I am an amazing brother, I told keith I’d help hide the new development from everyone else because obviously they got a reason for not telling us anything so far

 **Shiro:** they’d been on the phone to each other all morning and hunk asked about who lance was talking to in the main gc and then when lance denied talking to anyone pidge went into operation klance and told them lance was deffo lying

 **Shiro:** hunk then proceeded to listen to lance talking and heard him say something like “love you, bye” and told operation klance (OK)

 **Shiro:** OK now believe lance has a secret boyfriend

 **Shiro:** I know the truth but I cannot tell anyone involved

 **Matt:** oh ym fucking god I was not expecting that

 **Matt:** so they got together??? That’s good im happy for them

 **Shiro:** I’m assuming so but I don’t know for definite

 **Matt:** the rest is gonna end badly I can tell

 **Shiro:** I hope not hhhh

 **Matt:** its okay!! We’ll figure out how to deal with anything that happens, as long as you’re there for keith and lance they’ll be okay!!

 **Matt:** tbh I can understand them not wanting to tell anyone though, pidge means well but she is far too curious

 **Shiro:** matt you gotta reign your sister in

 **Matt:** kshdkjashd HOW

 **Shiro:** put her in one of those baby harnesses

 **Matt:** good idea

 

******

 

**_> > Matt Holt to Katie Holt_ **

**Matt:** hey pidgeon how would you feel about being placed in a baby harness

 **Katie:** how would you feel about being eviscerated?

 **Matt:** …noted

 

******

 

**_> > Matt Holt to Takashi Shirogane_ **

**Matt sent an image**

**Matt:** I don’t fuck with demons

******

 

**_> > Operation Klance_ **

**Hunk:** good morning it is a beautiful day and lance is on the phone again

 **Hunk:** im gonna private message him and find out whats up

 

******

 

**_> > Hunk Garrett to Lance McClain_ **

**Hunk:** yo lance you know you can tell me anything, right?

 **Hunk:** but you also don’t have to tell me anything at all

 **Hunk:** but seriously dude, who have you been talking to all day yesterday and now today

 **Lance:** its just someone from my class don’t worry about it

 **Hunk:** ohhhh h does someone have a cruuushhhhh

 **Lance:** khdjashdh no

 **Hunk:** oh really?

 **Lance:** yeah im certain its not “a crush”

 **Hunk:** interesting

 

******

_Keith Kogane & Lance McClain: facetime ended (02:56:27)_

******

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Keith Kogane_ **

**Lance sent an image**

**Lance:** hunk thinks he’s being so subtle doesn’t he

 **Keith:** we should just tell them

 **Keith:** shiro already knows

 **Lance:** ??? how

 **Keith:** I didn’t tell him, don’t worry he kinda just figured it out on his own

 **Keith:** here’s the messages he sent me

**Keith sent an image**

**Lance:** ohh that’s so sweet bless shiro and his too big heart

 **Lance:** we really should just tell them

 **Keith:** I don’t know how to though?

 **Lance:** we could hold something like a gender reveal party but the reveal is our relationship

 **Lance:** [cuts cake] SURPRISE! It’s gay!

 **Keith:** jhjksahfjsajdksk

 **Keith:** I was thinking something more subtle like making an announcement in the group chat or kissing at pidges party or something

 **Lance:** we could just be really affectionate around each other and see how long it takes them to figure it out

 **Keith:** that could take anywhere between 20 minutes and 40 days

 **Lance:** that’s part of the fun!

 **Keith:** but I just wanna kiss you in front of them and hold your hand when we’re out in public and cuddle you during squad movie nights without worrying whether or not they know

 **Keith:** im a simple gay lance

 **Lance:** oh worm???

 **Lance:** should we just make an announcement in the group chat and get it over with

 **Keith:** only if you’re 100% okay with that

 **Lance:** I am if you are?

 **Keith:** I’m ready?? I think??

 **Lance:** I’m ready but I don’t think I can do it without you with me

 **Keith:** come over to mine?

 **Lance:** okay, I’m on my way

 

 **Lance:** I’m here

 

******

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**judges you in Spanish:** hey guys we have an announcement to make

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> am i mean for ending this chapter there? probably. do i care? nope.
> 
> also the mankini thing is me self projecting some of the shit that goes down in my group chats onto the gang only i my groupchat the photo evidence was provided and that is one image that i will never get out of my brain nsdksahdj
> 
> leave kudos/comments if you enjoyed!!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna get this chapter out before my holiday, then before lance's birthday, then before august 5th (my mums birthday) and then today, the day before season 7 wow.... writers block really is a bitch huh. 
> 
> i've read through this chapter five times but its 1am i probably missed some spelling errors or just maybe a full sentence that doesn't make sense. if you notice pls let me know thank you<3
> 
> also im.... uh sorry...... but also not really.......... i have my reasons

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**judges you in Spanish:**  hey guys we have an announcement to make

 **the best sibling:** whomst is “we”

 **Princess™:** is this some hot juicy gossip

 **Princess™:** spill it

 **the worst sibling:** im excited should I be excited??

 **Space Mom:** LANCE we’re waiting here don’t leave us hanging

 **Space Mom:** is it a good announcement or a bad announcement

 **Space Mom:** and who the FUCK is “we”

 **the best sibling:** lance I’m gonna combust if you leave us hanging any longer its been five minutes already

 **Space Dad™:** lol give them some time

 **Corn:** but also not too much time because I need to know

 

******

 

“I don’t think I can do it.” Lance says quietly, fingers hovering over the send button, message already typed out.

 

Keith is sat on his bed, Lance is pacing anxiously between the walls of Keith’s room while the other watches. They’ve been talking about how to make the announcement for over half an hour now and Keith is bored – he wants to cuddle his boyfriend not watch as said boyfriend gradually works himself up into a panic attack. Keith’s phone vibrates for the sixth time in the past few minutes and he pushes it under his pillow to avoid reading any of the messages.

 

Their plan was simple: Lance says they have an announcement, when the whole group is present he sends another message telling them about their relationship. Then, to avoid the inevitable shitstorm, they put both of their phones on silent and relax while watching something on Netflix until their friends have calmed down enough.

 

“Just press send. It’s not that hard.” Keith insists, frowning slightly. He is confident in the fact that Lance likes him, but the hesitance to tell the others is making Keith wary for reasons he can’t explain.

 

“I just can’t do it.” Lance’s voice cracks slightly as he continues. “I can’t tell them.”

 

“Why not?” Keith asks, fingers fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie while he tracks Lance’s steps with his eyes. The blue hoodie and black ripped jeans combination looks really good on him, Keith thinks idly.

 

“I can’t explain why, I just know that the thought of telling them fills me with so much anxiety it’s almost painful.” Lance runs a hand through his hair, a small strand sticks up after and Keith resists the urge to smooth it down. Lance continues before he can even think to move anyway. “I want to show you off as my boyfriend but the thought of them actually knowing makes me feel sick.”

 

“You know they’d only be happy for us, right?”

 

“Of course I do, Keith, I just – _I don’t know, okay_?” Lance takes a deep breath. “I don’t think I’m ready for them to know yet.”

 

Keith frowns, runs his tongue over his lips as he tries to understand. “But why not?"

 

“Because this is all so new to me, I don’t feel ready to share it yet.” Lance stops his pacing and flops down on Keith’s bed beside him. It sounds more like a question than a statement and Keith feels a heavy weight settle on his chest.

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” He asks, feeling an irrational surge of anger spike up within him.

 

“I’m just not ready.” Lance says, then gives up his pacing and flops down beside Keith on the bed, their hands touching. Without thinking, Keith shifts his hands away.

 

“If you’re not ready to be honest with them, what makes you think you’re actually ready to have a boyfriend?” Keith shoots back. Lance spins around to look at him, open mouthed and eyes wide.

 

“Keith, you _know_ that’s not what I meant.” Lance leans backwards to rest his head against the pillows with a weary sigh. “I just don’t think I can tell them.”

 

“Then I’ll do it.” Keith responds and reaches under his pillow to dig for his phone. After a few seconds, he finds it and begins typing a message into the group chat.

 

He only gets three words in before Lance snatches his phone away. “ _No._ Keith, what I meant was that I don’t want to tell them, and I don’t want you to tell them either.”

 

“But why not?” Keith asks again, reaching out to Lance’s outstretched arm to try and retrieve his phone. Lance, despite their similar build, is still a few inches taller than Keith, meaning that Keith’s phone is held just slightly too far away. His fingers can reach just to the bottom of Lance’s wrist but no further. His phone remains tragically out of reach regardless of his attempts to retrieve it.

 

A thought hits Keith out of nowhere and freezes him in his attempts to retrieve his phone. He withdraws his arm and slides away from Lance, who in turn lowers his outstretched hand slightly. Keith shuffles back so he’s almost falling off the bed and looks at Lance, ice freezing his insides. “You’re not,” he begins, then pauses again as he fights for the right way to articulate his thoughts, “Are you ashamed of me?”

 

Lance’s eyes meet Keith’s, as if to check whether or not Keith is serious. “Keith, no. _No._ Of course not. How could I be ashamed of you?”

 

“Then why won’t you tell them?” Keith presses further, he knows to some extent he’s being unreasonable, and Lance has many reasons to want to keep their relationship secret for now, but he just wants it over with. It’s been less than a week and he already can’t cope with having to hide it.

 

“I don’t know.” Lance says again, bringing an arm up to cover his face. Keith can see his teeth worrying his bottom lip but the anger burning his mind makes it so he can’t seem to pay attention to the details.

 

“Then come back to me when you have an answer.” Keith says, his mouth engaging before his brain can catch up. The anger he was feeling only a few seconds ago fades fast and he wants nothing more than to be able to take the words back, to open his mouth and swallow them whole but he can’t do that and instead they echo around the painfully quiet room. Keith opens his mouth, then shuts it again when he can’t think of the right words to say to make this better, to fix this before it becomes something much, much worse.

 

Lance’s eyes are so wide, so blue. Keith has never seen this exact expression on Lance before and he’s glad of that because this look is heart-breaking. He looks unbelievably sad, Keith wants to reach out and cup Lance’s face in his hands, kiss his forehead until the lines there are smoothed out. Instead he remains stoic, unmoving. There’s a small period of time where neither of them moves, but just before the silence and the tension get too much for Keith to bare, Lance speaks.

 

“Okay.” He says, and Lance gets up and walks out of Keith’s room.

 

The apartment door slams shut behind Lance, but Keith is still sat there, frozen.

 

A few moments later his phone buzzes with a message.

 

******

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**judges you in Spanish:** nvm

 

******

Standing out on the cold street means the wind is blowing through his cold hair as he shoves his hands into his hoodie pockets in search of warmth. His phone buzzes and Lance pulls it out to view a separate text from Hunk asking about why he went MIA after saying he had an announcement to make. Lance can’t be bothered to reply right now, but he opens the group chat up, deletes the message he had typed out and replaces it with a short “nvm”.

 

His phone buzzes again immediately after but Lance mutes it and begins walking back home. He passes the park on the way back, the one they had stopped to make out in when they first got together and has to fight back tears. He’s not going to cry, not here and not now. Not over something as stupid as this.

 

Keith’s right, Lance knows, telling their friends would have no negative impacts. There would be no fear or judgement and they would keep it a secret from everyone else until they were ready. But still, for reasons Lance can’t explain, the thought of telling them is scary, stressful and nauseating. The perfect combination.

 

What he needs, Lance decides halfway through his walk home, is a cup of coffee to calm himself. There’s a small café on the corner of the street he’s walking down and he walks towards it, instead of turning down the side street he would need to follow to arrive home. He needs some time to relax and organise his thoughts before he returns home to his caring but smothering friends and this is the perfect place to do so.

 

The café is small but lively. A handful of tables are spread out throughout the restaurant with soft red patterned chairs surrounding them. The walls are painted a dark brown, with the wall behind the drinks station and payment area wallpapered with and black and gold pattern. Huge windows look out onto the main street, preventing the dark décor from looking oppressive and instead giving it a vintage feel. Fairy lights hang over the shelves on the walls which are stacked with jars of various foods, whether they are real or fake is unknown to Lance but he likes the look.

 

The girl behind the counter is pretty, her black hair is coiled tightly into an afro and her eyes shine golden in the light. Gold hoop earrings dangle from her ears and match the faint simmers of gold he can see on her eyelids. Her black skin and dark uniform make the white nametag stand out more. The girl – Shay according to the nametag – smiles politely at Lance as he approaches, and he smiles back.

 

“It’s Lance, right?” She asks, just as he opens his mouth to order.

 

“Yeah,” Lance swallows, “Uh, how did you know?”

 

“Oh, we’ve never met. I’m friends with Hunk and he’s told me all about you and his other friends.” Shay answers her voice is soft but calming and Lance finds that despite everything, she’s helping to ease a little bit of his anxiety. Lance also swears he recognises her from somewhere, he’s heard her mentioned a few times before at least. Her story makes sense considering he spends the most time with Hunk.

 

“I think I’ve heard Hunk mention you, once or twice,” Lance responds truthfully, “Didn’t you both join the cooking society?”

 

“Yeah, that’s how we first met.” Shay seems to have brightened considerably at the knowledge that Hunk has mentioned her and Lance files that away for future reference. Or, if he is honest with himself, future teasing of Hunk.

 

He pays for his drink and Shay hands it over with a smile as he says goodbye. The café is small but there’s one table empty and its right by the window. Quickly, to avoid someone else beating him to it, he makes his way over and sits down at the table.

 

His drink – coffee with cream and two sugars – isn’t the best he’s ever had but it’s good enough and it helps calm him down even more until he feels stable enough to try and look at the events of today from Keith’s point of view.

 

He understands why Keith wants them to be out, he even agrees but how he thinks and how he feels don’t seem to match up this time and it feels awful. He doesn’t think Keith is properly mad at him, more upset over them not being honest, which is a relief to Lance because he doesn’t think he could cope if Keith seriously hated him.

 

Lance downs the rest of his drink, filled with the urge to be somewhere else. He leaves the café after saying goodbye again to Shay and continues walking.

 

It’s probably another hour and a half until he arrives back at the apartment, after taking a detour to the shop to pick up some comfort food and some lunch. The cold has fully wormed its way through his jacket by this point, his fingers and almost numb. For a day in March, it is far too cold outside, and he shudders as his extremities adjust to the warmth of the apartment after spending so long outside.

 

He tiptoes through the hallways, desperate to avoid any contact with Hunk or Pidge, he’s not in the mood to have to explain everything from earlier and he knows they would instantly pick up on his sour mood and force him to explain everything and, although that would make him feel better in the short term, it would only make him feel worse overall.

 

Lance makes it to his bedroom without issue, the house is silent so he can only assume Hunk and Pidge are either out somewhere or minding their own business. Knowing how nosy they both are, Lance doubts it’s the latter.

 

With a long sigh, he collapses onto his bed and pulls his phone out of his pocket. There’s dozens of notifications on there and with another sigh, he resigns himself to spending the next half an hour reading and replying to all his missed texts.

 

******

 

**_> > Hunk Garrett to Lance McClain_ **

**Hunk:** yo dude what was that about

 **Hunk:** are you okay?

 **Lance:** haha yeah I’m fine

 **Lance:** just wasn’t quite ready to come clean about the announcement but tis cool

 **Hunk:** are you sure??

 **Lance:** yeah, don’t worry dude <3

 **Hunk:** you know I will anyway but thanks <3

 

******

**_> > Katie Holt to Lance McClain_ **

**Katie:** what th heck was all of that about

 **Lance:** nothing. it doesn’t matter anymore

 **Katie:** are you sure?

 **Lance:** yeah

 **Katie:** you know we’re here if you want to talk about anything though, right?

 **Lance:** yeah ofc  <3

 **Katie:** <3

 

******

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Lance McClain_ **

**Takashi:** were those messages related at all to you entering our apartment then leaving just before sending the second one

 **Takashi:** there’s something up with keith too so I’m gonna guess so

 **Takashi:** are you okay?

 **Lance:** yeah they’re connected

 **Lance:** but im okay, idk about keith but let me know its there’s anything really wrong with him

 **Takashi:** why don’t you message him yourself? And do you want to talk about what happened?

 **Lance:** I don’t really think he wants to hear from me right now

 **Lance:** and sorry, you know I love you like an older bro but I just can’t talk to you about this, I need someone who doesn’t know either of us and can give an outsiders opinion

 **Takashi:** yeah I understand that tbh, I’ll let you know how keith is

 **Takashi:** and why don’t you try talking to someone like veronica? Or if you don’t want to talk to family try coran because he’s really good at giving advice. I know he knows both of you but I don’t really think it matters with him

 **Lance:** I think I’m gonna message veronica, I haven’t spoken to her for a while anyway

 **Takashi:** okay good luck

 **Takashi:** and lance?

 **Lance:** yeah?

 **Takashi:** please sort out whatever is going on between you and keith

 **Lance:** I’m gonna try

 **Lance:** thank you shiro

 

******

**_> > Lance McClain to Veronica McClain_ **

**Lance:** hey ver

 **Lance:** could I talk to you about something?

 **Veronica:** sure, whats up?

 **Lance:** so first of all I gotta tell you something, and you’re the first person in our family I’ve told so feel honoured

 **Lance:** but im pansexual

 **Lance:** which means I’m attracted to people regardless of their gender, so I could fall in love with a girl or with a guy or with anyone inbetween

 **Veronica:** SLDKJLKFH oh thank god I thought I was the only lgbt one in our family

 **Lance:** WAIT WHAT

 **Veronica:** lance im a fucking lesbian how did you not know this

 **Lance:** does mom know?

 **Veronica:** no, I’m gonna wait to tell her until I actually get a girlfriend

 **Lance:** oh thank god, and to think I was nervous about telling you alsjdksxkjz

 **Veronica:** I know skdjlskjaksjka

 **Veronica:** anyway whats up lil bro

 **Lance:** so I might have fallen in love with this guy

 **Lance:** hes cute and funny and probably my best friend. He’s adorable and passionate about everything and I love him so so much even though his hair is dumb and I think that is true love because if you love them when they’ve got an ugly haircut its gotta be real

 **Veronica:** it’s keith isn’t it

 **Lance:** WHAT JDHkncjkns how did you know??

 **Lance:** never mind I made it really obvious let me continue

 **Lance:** so we started dating a few days ago

 **Lance:** and we decided we we’re gonna tell our friends today because we don’t like keeping it a secret

 **Lance:** but I got really anxious over it for some reason and I couldn’t tell them, and then we argued about it and Keith got upset

 **Lance:** he literally said something like “if you aren’t ready to tell them then you’re not ready to have a boyfriend” and now I can’t stop overthinking that line like

 **Lance:** what if I am not ready

 **Lance:** its not fair to keith to keep it a secret so maybe we’d both be better off if I just broke up with him

 **Lance:** I know this probably doesn’t make much sense but im just really stressed about this rn ver and I need some support

 **Veronica:** I can understand why keith got upset, I’m not saying it was appropriate or fair to you but I can understand

 **Lance:** so can I tbh

 **Lance:** I just don’t understand why I got so anxious about it

 **Veronica:** well think about it like this

 **Veronica:** you’ve only just come out to me and we are close family

 **Veronica:** I’m gonna assume your friends didn’t know until recently, right?

 **Lance:** how did you know?

 **Veronica:** because keith has been pining over you for so long he would have definitely made a move sooner if he knew you weren’t straight

 **Lance:** why did you assume keith made the first move

 **Veronica:** because you are obviously a dumbass gay

 **Veronica:** like shiro

 **Lance:** ok that’s valid but also I made the first move

 **Lance:** kind of

 **Lance:** it’s complicated

 **Veronica:** …okay? But it took this long for you to feel comfortable even talking about your sexual orientation with people, it only makes sense that you’d feel uncomfortable about actually expressing it to them

 **Lance:** but I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable!!! They’re my friends and I love them more than anything and I know they would never judge me for anything but telling them is scary for reasons I can’t explain

 **Veronica:** sometimes we get scared of things for no reason, love itself is scary

 **Veronica:** if the person you love means enough to you, you’ve got to fight through the fear

 **Veronica:** know that whatever happens I’ll be here for you <3

 **Lance:** thank you

 **Lance:** but what if my friends treat us differently after they find out

 **Veronica:** your friends love you just as much as you love them, the only thing that’ll change is people will refer to you and keith as a couple now

 **Lance:** are you sure?

 **Veronica:** fairly, if I’m wrong I’ll print out these screenshots and eat them

 **Lance:** i’ll hold you to that

 **Lance:** but thank you veronica, you’ve made me feel better about the whole thing  <3

 **Veronica:** np lance  <3

 **Lance:** I should probs go and talk to him now rip, I’ll let you know how it goes

 

******

 

**_> > Takashi Shirogane to Keith Kogane_ **

**Takashi:** alright keith, spill

 **Takashi:** whats going on

 **Takashi:** you’ve been moping all day

 **Keith:** nothing

 **Keith:** im fine

 **Takashi:** see that’s exactly what someone who isn’t fine would say

 **Keith:** im just in a bad mood that’s all, it’ll pass

 **Takashi:** so you’re absolutely sure it’s nothing to do with lance’s weird behaviour in the group chat earlier? Or to do with him storming out of our apartment? Or the fact that he literally told me something that happened?

 **Keith:** wait what did he tell you

 **Takashi:** he literally just said its all connected,, nothing about what actually went down

 **Keith:** oh good

 **Takashi:** so you admit that something did go down?

 **Keith:** yeah

 **Takashi:** do you wanna talk about it

 **Keith:** not really but I think it would help

 **Takashi:** it probably would

 **Keith:** I just overreacted

 **Keith:** I get really insecure about the stupidest stuff and I took it out on lance instead of respecting his wishes and I said some stupid stuff

 **Takashi:** what happened that made you feel insecure

 **Keith:** basically,, we decided we were gonna tell everyone that we’re actually in a relationship and lance started to then got really stressed and anxious about it

 **Keith:** and me, being the dumbass I am, tried to push him into doing it and basically told him if he wasn’t ready to tell people he wasn’t ready to date me

 **Keith:** which is so stupid

 **Keith:** because I love him

 **Keith:** and I would wait years until he was ready

 **Keith:** i just don’t know what came over me

 **Takashi:** I can understand why that would make you feel insecure

 **Takashi:** did you mention how you felt to lance?

 **Keith:** no

 **Takashi:** he probably would have understood why you reacted that way if you had told him why it upset you

 **Keith:** I know

 **Keith:** I should probably talk to him, right?

 **Takashi:** yeah you probably should

 **Takashi:** let me know how it goes

 **Keith:** I will do

 **Keith:** unless I forget which is a possibility

 **Takashi:** keith….. pls….

 

******

 

**_> > Keith Kogane to Lance McClain_ **

**Keith:** im so sorry about how I reacted earlier. It’s completely up to you to decide when you feel comfortable telling people about our relationship and im sorry I tried to push you into telling everyone when you clearly weren’t ready. I know this just sounds like an excuse but you not wanting to tell people made me feel really insecure, I know you don’t feel this way but I’ve dated people before who were reluctant to tell people because they didn’t feel like they were dating a real man and I know youre not like that it just brought up bad memories. Im just so sorry and I love you

 **Lance:** you absolute wet wipe

 **Lance:** I was literally just about to apologise to you, asshole

 **Lance:** and by “just about” I mean I’d been avoiding it for twenty minutes because I was scared but that’s not relevant rn

 **Lance:** I spoke to veronica and she talked some sense into me and told me why I shouldn’t be afraid. I should have considered how me not wanting to talk would affect you but I didn’t and for that im sorry too

 **Keith:** can we just agree to be more open with each other? In terms of how we’re feeling at that moment in time

 **Lance:** YEAH

 **Lance:** like if I ever do anything that upsets you/you’re not comfortable with please just tell me

 **Keith:** and vice versa

 **Lance:** of course

 **Keith:** I love you a lot and im sorry again for everything I said earlier

 **Lance:** I forgive you, I love you too

 **Lance:** but if you’re still down, I think I’m ready to tell them

 **Lance:** for real this time

 **Keith:** only if you’re certain  <3

 **Lance:** I am  <3

 

******

 

**_> > Defenders of the Universe_ **

**judges you in Spanish:** sorry guys about the earlier messages eek

 **judges you in Spanish:** but im back and finally ready to share what I was going to earlier

 **judges you in Spanish:** so me and keith are in a relationship, we started dating a few days ago

 **judges you in Spanish:** I had a full speech planned out earlier but I forgot what I was gonna say so you just get this sorry

 **Space Mom:** KSDHJKHFFJLKSAD LKFJ LDJKSDNCKNSKDLCN LANCD EFEROHGIK

 **the best sibling:** CONGRATS GAYS JSLJCLAFDSJFJSLKCJS

 **Princess™:** LANCE KEITH IM SO HAPPT FOR YOU GUSYHCSNCKJ

 **Corn:** AHHH im so happy for you two!

 **Beith:** thank you guys

 **Space Dad™:** im glad you sorted everything out

 **the best sibling:** WAIT SHIRO DID YOU KNOW ALREADY DKLNDLK WHT

 **Space Dad™:** I figured it out myself

 **Space Mom:** LKSJDKHALFHK KJCJC SHIRO KNEW ALL ALONG AND KEPT IT A SECRET FROM US…. IM MAD BUT AT LEAST WE KNOW HE’S TRUSTWORTHY

 **Space Mom:** but also lance im so happy for you right now dude come over to my room so I can hug you and cry

 **Space Mom:** pidge as a third member of the house you are also invited mainly because we don’t have a choice

 **judges you in Spanish:** on my way

 **the best sibling:** me too

 **Space Dad™:** keith im ordering pizza come out and you can get some

 **Beith:** omw I guess

 **judges you in Spanish:** by the way? I love you guys

 **the best sibling:** we love you too

 

******

 

**_> > Lance McClain to Veronica McClain_ **

**Lance:** you were right

 **Veronica:** when am I not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kdkdsjndskcnm SHIRO IS GAY BABY! he's gay... a homosexual..... love that dude..... i also love adam and im hoping s7 pulls through with some sweet adashi content..... im not gonna include adam in this story but i might..... in another..... a sequel... mayhaps..... when this one is over and done with..... (only a few chapters left!) 
> 
> also when i wake up season 7 will have aired and we'll be introduced properly to veronica so if i get her personality wrong dont @ me but i probably won't edit this too much unless shes really horrible but i doubt that!
> 
>  
> 
> [if you're enjoying this story please buy me a coffee muah!](https://ko-fi.com/transromelle)

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! leave kudos/comments if you enjoyed<3
> 
> [here's my kofi link](http://ko-fi.com/transromelle) \- if you enjoyed this story please consider buying me a coffee to help me afford the things i need to move out for uni!!<3


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